20 TIPS AND TOE-WEIGHTS. 



The liiiid feet have ca double duty to perform, viz.: propelling the 

 body, and bringing it to a stop — at times suddenly. The greatest 

 strain is upon the toe in the first and the heel in the last. Fortu- 

 nately, the hind foot, when compared with the front, has almost a 

 complete immunity from diseases which are so common in the 

 anterior supports, and wliile there would be advantages in having 

 this as free as possible, if necessary it can be made to wear what- 

 ever is required to guard against slipping, and make its powers of 

 propulsion and stopping more effective. 



The pavements of a city are not so wearing to the foot as those 

 roadways which are covered with gravel or broken stones. Calkins 

 do not protect the feet on cobble-stones or the Belgian blocks, and 

 the -wear to the heels and frog upon them would not equal the 

 natural growth. 



Placing a shoe on the di-aught-horse's foot, which is elevated from 

 an inch to an inch and a half by the high " corks " wdiich the owner 

 directs the blacksmith to forge, takes away a great deal of his power. 

 It places him at a disadvantage to use his strength, and makes a 

 strain upon the wall of the foot. Were the same danger to exist 

 from this cause as results from the concussion attending a high rate 

 of speed, the feet of the work-horses would be in a sad state after a 

 short time. The slow pace moderates the concussion, and the damage 

 is not so apparent. Horses Avhich have to go fast are the ones which 

 absolutely require an improvement in the manner of shoeing, and 

 though confident that the best for them would also be the best for 

 the work-horse, the consideration will be restricted to the class I 

 have designated. 



The various shoes which have been in use for the past twenty 

 years have some radical defect, owing to a ^jrejiidice which all have 

 entertained for complete protection of the horse's foot. Because men 

 would cripple when walking barefoot over a compai'atively smooth 

 surface, it was supposed that the horse would be subject to the same 

 inconvenience, and sornething between the foot and the ground was 

 held essential for their comfort. Although the physical formation of 

 the man and animal be something alike, the feet are opposite as 

 can be. Man has the whole bearing from the os colds to the end of 



