70 HORSESHOEING. 



found ; on the contrary, hoofs vary in shape and quality to such 

 an extent that among a hundred horses no two hoofs can be 

 found which are exactly alike. In fact, the same variety exists 

 as in the faces of people, and we know that we can recall in 

 succession even many more faces without finding two that are 

 exactly alike. This explains the manifold differences in horse- 

 shoes with respect to size, form, and other qualities. 



Suppose now a hoof is before us ; it is first necessary to know 

 whether or not it is healthy. Unfortunately, a perfectly healthy 

 hoof is not so easy to find as one may think. We recognize a 

 sound hoof by the following marks : Seen from in front or from 

 the side, the course of the wall from the coronet to the ground, 

 in the direction of the horn-tubes, is straight, — that is, bent 

 neither in nor out. A straight edge, placed upon the wall in the 

 direction of the horn-tubes, touches at every point. The wall 

 must show neither longitudinal nor transverse cracks or fissures. 

 If there be rings, their position and course are important. Rings 

 which pass around the entire circumference of the wall parallel 

 to the coronet indicate nothing more than disturbances of nutri- 

 tion of the hoof ; hut the hoof cannot pass for sound when the 

 rings have any other position and direction than the one men- 

 tioned, or if the rings upon any part of the wall are more marked 

 than elsewhere, even though they may be parallel to the coro- 

 nary band. Marked ring-building upon the hoofs of horses 

 which have regular feeding, grooming, and work indicates a weak 

 hoof. Viewed from the ground- surface and from behind, the 

 bulbs of the heels should be well rounded, strongly developed, 

 and not displaced. The concave sole should show no separation 

 along the white line. The frog should be strong, well developed, 

 and have symmetrical branches and a broad, shallow, dry me- 

 dian lacuna. The lateral lacunae of the frog should be clean 

 and not too narrow. The bars should pass in a straight direc- 

 tion forward and inward towards the point of the frog. Any 

 bending outward of the bars towards the branches of the sole 

 indicates the beginning of a narrowing of the space occupied by 



