46 CONTRACTED HEEL. — PASTERNS* [BOOK I. 



moisture, is the certain preventive of contraction. 

 See "Foot: 1 



When the pastern-bones (great and small) rise 

 one above the other too uprightly, the small one 

 receives the whole concussion, and communicates 

 the jarr to the very minute construction of the in- 

 ternal foot. See section of Foot, in book iii. chap. 1. 

 The jarring of his pace is then very great, both to 

 the horse and his rider. Such horses are very 

 liable to go lame occasionally, but they recover by 

 rest : the principal damage is to be found in the 

 sensible sole. The ass and wild horse (poney) are 

 thus formed; but being hardy, and having less 

 blood and less weight of body to carry about, suffer 

 less by it than the horse. 



The just form or elevation of the hoof in front, 

 upon which mainly depends its form behind, has 

 been discussed by various writers, but remains yet- 

 awhile uncertain and unsettled. Mr. Bracy Clark 

 judged 33 degrees of elevation from the ground 

 to be the best form of the hoof, and Mr. White 

 quotes him with a portion of approbation, but most 

 unaccountably refers to his " plate iv," on which 

 an inscription tells us the fact is not so, but 45 

 degrees is the best possible elevation of the hoof; 

 whilst those which are higher (lower he writes it, 

 or " 33"), " approach too near the perpendicular;" 

 the figure on the plate being wholly different from 

 the diagram on the page (305) of his book, 12th ed.* 



* The perpetuating of error, even in figures, the most simple mode 



