76 TIPS AND TOE-WEIGHTS. 



part of the fi'Og which touches the gi-ound, a little extra heat per- 

 ceptible, apparently a trifling ailment which would be entirely over- 

 looked by a person who was not familiar with an actually natural 

 foot. Still, if one foot was affected, that leg was the first to yield, 

 and though a horse might break down with the best of feet, the con- 

 junction is worthy of notice. 



It is not necessary to enter into a minute description of the ten- 

 dons of the fore leg, being sufficient to state that they are acted upon 

 by the huge muscles which clothe the shoulder, and follow the radius 

 until connected with the tendons near the carpus. There is a tre- 

 mendous force in these massive bundles of fibres, and this power is 

 needed to send the animal along at such a pace as the fast galloper 

 can make. The old idea, not yet surrendered by ninety-nine in a 

 hundred of horsemen, that all the fore legs had to do was to support 

 the body, while the hind propelled it through the air, is eSectually 

 exploded by the instantaneous pictures. The last supreme effort be- 

 fore the horse is hurled through the air is made by one fore leg, and 

 consequently there must be a corresponding energetic movement to 

 effect the purpose. The foot has been placed on the ground, nearly 

 on a line with the nose, and the other foreleg does its part by carrying 

 the weight along until it is under the brisket. When so far back 

 that a vertical line from the toe will strike behind the cantle of the 

 saddle, the grand propulsive force is applied. As the body is carried 

 over the foot, the pastern is bent until the ankle touches the ground, 

 and at this point the injury from the high heel or the long shoe 

 comes. It is evident that the tendon which passes under the navic- 

 ular bone is forced to a sharper angle, and when the contraction of 

 the muscles act on the cords, a greater resistance is met. By looking 

 at the cut, and imagining the slight angle which the bones form with 

 the gi-ound sui-face changed to one which is below a parallel line, 

 some idea may be formed of the increased resistance to be overcome. 

 When the tendon passes over a joint, it has a groove to run in, this 

 being lubricated by a mucilaginous liquid called the synovial fluid, in 

 common parlance joint-oil. 



Should the cord be pressed with a greater degree of force than is 

 necessary, it is like applying a brake to a wheel, the high heel being 



