76 FORM AND ACTION. 



grow too long, or the heels being first raised by a high-heeled shoe, 

 and that suddenly changed for a shoe with thin heels," are all 

 causes which, says Professor Coleman, put the sesamoids on the 

 stretch, and, on occasions, do so, no doubt, to the injury of their 

 ligamentary connexions. There is not, however, so much harm 

 done in this way as people in general imagine. Certainly, art 

 cannot more insult nature than by suddenly and unpreparedly 

 altering the habitual condition of any part of the body ; and were a 

 person to set about to produce lameness, perhaps he could hardly 

 resort to a more effectual expedient than that of momentarily chang- 

 ing the relative position of the parts composing the fetlock and pas- 

 tern joints, either from an upright to an oblique, or from an oblique 

 to a straight position ; indeed, were the surface upon which the 

 horse treads like that of the table upon which we are writing, level 

 and unyielding, injury might be certain to result. But, as matters 

 stand, in the first place, there is almost always more or less yielding 

 of the ground under the horse's feet to counteract the effects of this 

 unnatural bearing of parts, and, in the second, there is inherent in 

 the parts themselves a power of adjustment, sufficient, we believe, 

 on all ordinary occasions, to ward off injury to them until such 

 time as they shall be able to accommodate themselves to their new 

 situations, or even, for a time, while the horse is going upon what 

 may be compared to the table, viz. wood-pavement. We do not deny 

 the mischief that may accrue from injudicious heightening or low- 

 ering of the heels of the foot by shoeing ; we only have less appre- 

 hension of the consequences, on account of the yielding nature of 

 the ground and the adjusting power of the parts themselves, than 

 appear to be entertained by horse people in general. 



