THE HORSE’S FOOT. 
1003 
cause, a service that can only be performed by the veterinarian, 
who has a knowledge of the anatomy of the foot and limb, and 
the physiology of motion. 
The second cause can easily be overcome, after having suc¬ 
cessfully removed the first, for in most cases the owners, after 
once convinced that a condition could exist unnoticed that 
would result in an injury to the limb and lameness, will seek 
our opinion of their other horses, when we can advise them of 
their condition and by our skill relieve them, and allow them 
to travel with a freedom that will be noticed and appreciated 
bv the owner. 
m/ 
The third cause—it is the duty of the farrier to perform the 
work of horseshoeing. There is no one who can take his place, 
and it is far from my object to make little of his service. He 
is held responsible for all kinds of lameness, and whilst Ido 
not wish to infer that they are entirely blameless, I do say with 
authority that there would be more lame horses if the judgment 
they exercised was commensurate to the pay they receive. 
As to where his duties end and those of the veterinarian be¬ 
gin, why, they end just where his knowledge of the subject 
ends, and it is right there where the veterinarian’s begins. Their 
duties are different and distinct. The one must not become a 
consulting shoer, and the other cannot be considered a consult¬ 
ing veterinarian. But to get back to the subject of my paper, 
and make clear its object, we will consider the relation of the 
hoof to the foot, and their relations to the rest of .the limb. 
The shell, as we know, surrounds and protects the foot just 
as our shoes surround and protect our feet. It is the shoe of 
nature, in the full sense of the term, and it is fitted so nicely 
and accurately to the foot as to permit of no alteration in its 
shape without causing pain and discomfort to that most sensi¬ 
tive organ. If this statement be true, we have only to notice 
the distorted shape of nearly all hoofs to form some opinion of 
the suffering endured by those animals who are powerless to 
relieve it. They are not even allowed to rest that they might 
lessen it. They manifest unmistakable symptoms of pain. 
