THE HOOF. 201 



command of his foot, and literally walks as on a crutch ; and 

 if he has no power of his foot, he cannot have much in his 

 shoulder. The streets of Glasgow are very trying to horses 

 which have to scramble for a footing in the furrows between 

 the hard, smooth paving stones ; and horses with upright 

 pasterns are sometimes almost powerless to move, where 

 those with pasterns moderately sloped, and of medium 

 length, can walk with comparative ease. Farmers around 

 Glasgow are alive to this, and will not readily use a stallion 

 which has this defect, however strong and shapely." The 

 comparisons which Mr. Dykes draws between the Clydesdale 

 and the Shire horse in no way concern us here. 



The Hoof. — The hoof serves as a horny boot in which 

 to enclose the bones and soft structures of the foot. The horn 

 of the wall, sole, and frog should be thick, hard and tough, so 

 as to resist in an efficient manner the effects of wear. Moisture 

 has a well-marked softening and weakening influence on the 

 horn, and it consequently affects the form of the foot. We 

 shall find that the drier the climate ; the stronger is the horn 

 of horses reared in it ; the more upright are the feet ; and the 

 more concave are the soles. I may explain that when the 

 horn of the wall and sole is weak, it will not be able to 

 efficiently support the weight thrown on the leg, and the foot 

 will have a tendency to become flat. The feet of, for instance, 

 horses bred in Australia are stronger than those produced 

 in England, owing to the climate being drier ; although both 

 are practically of the same blood. The fact that water 

 mechanically softens horn, does not explain why the hoofs of 

 horses in damp climates should be produced thinner than 

 those of animals in dry climates. We know from experience, 

 however, that moisture has a great influence in quickening 

 the growth of horn, as we may see in horses turned out on 

 marshy ground. Also, in those parts of India where the 

 yearly rain-fall, though large in quantity, is practically con- 

 fined to about four consecutive months, it is found that the 

 growth of the horses' feet during the ** monsoons " is much 



