152 HIGH HEELS. 



" Yes," said he : "I soon get the worst of feet all right ; but 

 it is an idea of my own." In my judgment the principal 

 secret of the success of the Goodenough shoe is that the 

 iron is so soft that it wears down rapidly, and brings the sole 

 and frog to the ground, and to the rule of not touching the 

 frog or sole when trimming the foot for the shoe. 



HIGH HEELS. 



But I would right here make an explanation : If there is 

 any morbid inflammation in the cartilage of the coffin-joint 

 or of the sheaths of the tendons passing down over the heel, 

 especially if there is any tendency to coffin-joint lameness, 

 bringing the heels to the ground will make the horse decid- 

 edly lame. In this case you must raise the heel high enough 

 to prevent contact with ground, and the toe should be ham- 

 mered down and made rounding like the toe of a shoe well 

 worn. A member of my class who had 

 been in one of the car- stables in New 

 York, after advising thin-heeled shoes, 

 said a man came to that stable while he 

 was there, and talked that system into 

 the president of the company ; and he 

 was employed to shoe all the horses 

 on that plan. I asked him if he shod 

 all alike; and he said, "Just alike." 

 "Then," said I, "you had quite a 

 Bearing surf ace of a shoe, number that became dead lame, while 

 of the\min!oie s c . ati n the others did better." He said that 

 was so. I then explained that those 

 having any tendency to coffin-joint lameness got badly lame ; 

 and that such, instead of a low heel, should have high heels 

 and round toes to remove pressure from the frog, and aid 

 the mobility of the foot. He had an idea, but no knowl- 

 edge of principles back of it, and was consequently a dan- 

 gerous authority to be guided by. 



CONTRACTION. 



The hoof is a shell of yielding horn ; and when it becomes 

 dry and hard, grows smaller, and presses upon the structure 

 of the foot within, as a boot that becomes dry and crisped 

 is drawn down tightly upon the foot. The result is inflam- 



