188 COMPENDIUM OF THE A^ETERINARY ART. 



hoof in a state of nature, of which no part has 

 ever been cut away, or ever been shod : this 

 w^e have given as a standard of perfection, 

 from which the goodness of feet in general 

 may be judged of; for surely no one will he- 

 sitate for a moment in admitting that the na- 

 tural form is the best it can possibly possess. 



In Fig. 2 of the same plate is shown a per- 

 fect foot, properly prepared for the shoe. In 

 this foot the superfluous horn has been cut 

 away, and an even surface made for the shoe 

 to bear upon. 



If we examine the feet of a hundred colts, 

 it will be found that more than ninety of them 

 are of the same form. It is true that some 

 may have grown more luxuriantly than others, 

 whereby the crust will be deeper, and the 

 bottom part may have been partially broken, 

 so as to gi^e the Ibot a ragged and uneven 

 appearance ; still the essential shape is the 

 same; and when this superfluous horn has 

 been removed, it will be found that the bottom 

 of the foot will be nearly circular, the sole con- 

 cave, the bars distinct, and the frog and heels 

 open and expanded. 



In preparing a horse's foot for the shoe, the 

 lower part is to be reduced, when luxuriant, 



