BOOK III. 



CONCERNING THE LEG AND FOOT OF THE HORSE; OR 

 SHOEING SMITH'S GUIDE. 



CHAPTER I. 



Structure and Physiology of the Foot ; Mode of 

 studying it advantageously. 



Certain disorders of the foot owe their origin to 

 bad structure of the limb, and the manner it is 

 attached to the body, which influences the tread, 

 or bearing, that the foot has upon a plane surfaced 

 ground ; others arise from accident or hard work, 

 and a good number from the errors shoeing-smiths 

 fall into when they neglect to adapt their work to 

 the circumstances peculiar to each kind of horse. 

 Furthermore, almost every individual horse has its 

 peculiar tread, and the scientific workman should 

 place himself in a situation to ascertain whether this 

 be owing to such original defectiveness, or to the 

 evil accumulations of age and hard usage : he must 

 not pretend to counteract, but to follow the first 

 mentioned ; the second he may endeavour to correct, 

 to amend, and prevent its evil consequences. In 



