132 TIPS AND TOE-WEIGHTS. 



and see the angle at which it necessitates its unlucky bearer to stand 

 and move upon it, without reprieve to its distorted tendons except 

 when lying down — ^the altitude of the outside " heel cock " being 

 about double that of the inside, and the weight of the animal distrib- 

 uted equally between the unequal points of the one and the other, 

 with the point of the heel for a tripod. Of frog there is none 

 remaining, and therefore it is out of the question, of course. 

 Some say: Very true in general, but my horse has " curby hocks," 

 and thei-efore requires these "heel cocks" ai'tificially to support them. 

 I say, certainly not. On the conti-ary, knock off the heel cocks, 

 lower the shoe at the toe, as much as nature will permit, allow the 

 frog to receive pressure from the ground and gradually to come on 

 the scenes again; the tendons will meantime readjust themselves 

 and assume their natural proportions, the animal becomes at ease, 

 and a sound and actively elastic frog will amply supply the rest. 



SUAVITER IN MODO. 

 HOOFS AND SHOES. 



Sir, — That science has made great strides in many things no one 

 ■will deny ; but that it has made equally great progress in the art of 

 shoeing that veiy patient slave of man, the horse, no one, I venture 

 to say, will admit. The manner in which the majority of horses 

 are shod shows too plainly that the quantity of iron employed far ex- 

 ceeds that of common sense. The farrier first cuts away the sole 

 until it will " give " under the pressure of his thumb, and then nails 

 on a broad mass of iron to protect it. The frog, and even the bars 

 themselves, do not escape his barbarous knife : for he no sooner finds 

 that they have grown a little since the last shoeing than to work he 

 goes, and again undoes that which nature herself has done. But let 

 us not be too hard on the much-abused shoeing smith, for he, often 

 has to work according to orders from the man in charge of his four- 

 footed friend, who will not be satisfied until the feet look like so many 

 cockle shells ; pared and rasped to the last degree is his plan. Of 

 course they look " clean and nice," and that is about the only explana- 

 tion he can give you for having it done. No wonder, sir, we see so many 



