594 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 
Hind hoofs are influenced in shape by different directions of their 
pasterns much as front feet are. A hind hoof is not round at the 
toe as a front hoof is, but is more pointed. Its greatest width is 
two-thirds of the way back from toe to heel, the sole is more concave, 
the heels relatively wider, and the toe about 10° steeper than in front 
hoofs. 
EXAMINATION PRELIMINARY TO SHOEING. 
The object of the examination is to ascertain the direction and 
position of the limbs, the shape, character, and quality of the hoofs, 
the form, length, position, and wear of the shoe, the number, dis- 
tribution, and direction of the nails, the manner in which the hoof 
leaves the ground, its line of flight, the manner in which it is set to 
the ground, and all other peculiarities, that at the next and subse- 
quent shoeings proper allowances may be made and observed faults 
corrected. The animal must, therefore, be observed both at rest and 
in motion. 
At rest, the observer should stand in front and note the slant of the 
long pasterns. Do they drop perpendicularly, or slant downward 
and outward (base-wide foot), or downward and inward (base-nar- 
row foot)? Whatever be the direction to the long pastern, an im: 
aginary line passing through its long axis, when prolonged to the 
ground, should apparently pass through the middle of the toe. But 
if such line cuts through the inner toe the foot-axis is not straight, as 
it should be, but is broken inward at the. coronet, an indication that 
either the outer wall of the hoof is too long (high) or that the inner 
wall is too short (low). Onthecontrary, if the center line of the long 
pastern falls through the outer toe the foot-axis is broken outward at 
the coronet, an indication that either the inner wall is too long or the 
outer wall too short. 
The observer should now place himself at one side, two or three 
paces distant, in order to view the limb and hoof in profile. Note the 
size of the hoof in relation to the height and weight of the animal, 
and the obliquity of the hoof. Is the foot-axis straight—that is, does 
the long pastern have the same slant as the toe, or does the toe of the 
hoof stand steeper than the long pastern (fig. 6c)? In which case 
the foot-axis is broken forward at the coronet, an indication, usually, 
that the quarters are either too high or that the toe is too short. 
If the long pastern stands steeper than the toe (fig. 6a) the foot- 
axis is broken backward, in which case the toe is too long or the quar- 
ters are too low (short). In figures 6a and 6c the dotted lines passing 
from toe to quarters indicate the amount of horn which must be 
removed in order to straighten the foot-axis, as shown in figure 60. 
Note also the length of the shoe. 
Next, the feet should be raised and the examiner should note the 
outline of the foot, the conformation of the sole, form and quality 
