MANAGEMENT OF THE FEET. 123 



low and weak heels, are easily lamed by sand and gravel ac- 

 cumulating between the sole and the shoe. Every time the 

 horse comes from work this should be entirely removed, 

 by carrying the picker all round. Strong-footed cart-horses 

 do not require this care, but in a gentleman's stable, cleanli- 

 ness demands it, whether the feet be weak or strong. 



Stopping the Feet. — This operation is performed only 

 on the fore feet ; it is often neglected altogether, and often it 

 is overdone. It consists in applying some moist matter to 

 the sole, for the purpose of keeping it soft and elastic. 



Kinds of Stopping. — Clay and cow-dung are the stoppings 

 in most general use ; each is employed alone, or in combina- 

 tion with the other. Clay is apt to get too soon dry ; it be- 

 comes hard as a stone, if not removed in twenty-four hours ; 

 and if the horse be taken to the road, and put to fast work, 

 with a hardened cake of clay in his foot, the sole is bruised 

 before the clay is displaced. Clay answers very well, how- 

 ever, for heavy draught-horses, whose work is slow, and 

 their heels raised from the ground by high calkins. It is 

 sometimes mixed with salt-water or herring-brine. As far 

 as I can see, plain water is quite as good. Cow-dung con- 

 tains much more moisture than clay. It softens the sole in 

 less time, and never becomes too hard or dry. For ordinary 

 feet, that is, feet with neither too much nor too little horn, a 

 mixture of cow-dung and clay makes the best stopping. To 

 this some salt may be added ; it prevents the dung from rot- 

 ting. Hacks, hunters, and racers, are often stopped with tow 

 or with moss. They are cleanly, and the quantity of moist- 

 ure which they impart can be varied to suit the condition of 

 the feet. The tow or the moss is put into the sole when 

 dry, and water is poured upon it once or twice a day. For 

 horses that have thrushy feet, or a tendency to thrushes, the 

 clay or cow-dung is rather too moist ; tow answers much 

 better. It should be neatly introduced, so as to fill the sole, 

 and be on a level with the shoe ; it is secured by packing it 

 a little under the edge of the shoe. Moss is used in the same 

 way, and is fully as good. 



Mr. Cherry of London, invented a felt pad, which he in- 

 tended to supply the place of stopping, by the moisture it 

 would contain, and support the sole by the resistance it would 

 afford. These pads are to be obtained of all sizes ; they 

 cover all the exposed portion of the sole and the frog. The 

 inventor argues truly that the sole was intended to receive 

 some pressure from the ground, which becomes rare and 



