112 HORSES: 



brittleness of hoof. But the circulation of fluid 

 through the pores of the hoof is not the only natural 

 process which modern shoeing interferes with. In 

 his work on the horse's foot, Mr. Miles illustrates the 

 expansion and contraction, which always take place 

 in its natural state when it is set down on and lifted 

 from the ground. The subject was a horse nine years 

 old, which had the shoe removed for the purpose of 

 the experiment. "The unshod foot was lifted up, 

 and its contour traced with the greatest precision on 

 a piece of hoard covered with paper. A similar 

 board was then laid on the ground, the same foot was 

 then placed upon it, and the opposite foot held up 

 whilst it was again traced. The result was that it had 

 expanded one-eighth part of an inch at the heel and 

 quarters." Over two inches on each side of the center 

 of the toe no expansion had taken place, the tracings 

 showing that the expansion was only lateral. It 

 would follow that a shoe intended to give full play to 

 this process must be confined to the part where no 

 expansion takes place ; but Mr. Miles adhered to the 

 form of the ordinary shoe, although he reduced to 

 three the number of nails by which it was fastened. 

 The object of this process of expansion and contrac- 

 tion is to give the animal a firmer hold on the soil, 

 and to enable him, where this is thick, slimy, or sticky, 

 to withdraw the foot easily on contraction. This 

 purpose is necessarily defeated when the whole foot 

 is armed with iron. 



No one has condemned the mischievous working of 

 the existing system more strongly than Mr. Mayhew, 



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