690 
JAMES M’DONOUGH. 
Therefore we have always been led to believe that it was caused 
by the horse carrying his foot too close to the ground, and for 
this reason shod him with one of two objects in view., i.e., in¬ 
crease his action by applying a heavier shoe or shortening the toe 
by rasping away the hoof at that point. 
When we now fail to stop him, as we usually do, we remind 
the owner of the old adage,—“ Once a stumbler, always a 
stumbler.” But let us return and try to determine the cause of 
the difference in the degree of stumbling. The first thing notice¬ 
able is the difference in the marks found on the front of the hoof. 
Upon the hoof of the animal that made what we called a “ miss 
step,” you may not find any mark, but a little earth on the toe of 
the shoe. An examination of the hoof of the animal that nearly 
fell will show a mark extending nearly the entire length of the 
toe. While the animal that fell will not only show a mark extend¬ 
ing the entire length of the hoof, but also- into the coronet above 
and oftentimes to the front of the ankle joint. This animal, while 
falling, may be seen to make one or more desperate efforts to re¬ 
gain his feet. His expression shows fear and excitement. The 
free limb, the one he was carrying forward at the time he 
stumbled, now seems to be fast and in a position where he can¬ 
not possibly extend it. It was fast from the beginning, other¬ 
wise his first efforts to extend it would have been successful, as 
was the case with the preceding animals. To those who have 
watched a stumbling horse fall it became evident that the limb 
was forced into a position where the animal was powerless to re¬ 
lease it. This could only be accomplished by the animal’s weight 
having been thrown upon that side before the limb had reached 
a position to receive and support it. 
As the fixed limb is intended to support all of the weight of 
the front part of the body until the extension of the free limb is 
completed, its failure to do so, as shown by the animal whose 
free limb was forced against the ground, should influence one to 
look there for a cause, where we will usually find it. 
If, when riding behind a frequent “ stumbler ” we closely 
watch the supporting limb, we will notice a slight flexion of the 
