624 
GEORGE J. GOUBEAUD. 
>» 
appeared to assume that position ; but, if the heels were long 
they would lie only a minute or two and then shift themselves 
to a more comfortable position, and even if they did lie in this 
position for a longer period of time, which was only so in rare 
instances, I saw no shoe-boil result. This position seemed un¬ 
comfortable and they would not stay in it long. They could be 
seen to shift themselves just as soon as the position became un¬ 
comfortable, which was very soon. I remember one animal in 
particular, which did not lie upon the shoe, but when the long- 
heeled shoe was removed he laid upon the foot, and he did this 
for three weeks. He was then sold, after which I lost track of 
him. This animal had no shoe-boil, neither was there any in¬ 
dication of any skin affection to lead me to suspect that the skin 
was bruised or chafed. The same can be said of the foot and 
much more. It is true that I have seen horses lie upon their 
feet and remain in that position some time. I have seen it, I 
admit; yes, bnt how much weight or pressure was there upon 
the foot? Isay not much, if any. If there was I could not 
dislodge it with perfect ease, and if the elbow and foot rested 
one upon the other, and they bore their respective weights in 
proportion to the rest of the limb, I assure you it would take 
more than a slight pull to change that position. Take the case 
of a horse weighing 1900 lbs., lift the knee and pull the foot 
foiward, and unless you are accustomed to pulling heavy ob¬ 
jects I am afraid that you will need a porous plaster. The ani¬ 
mal bears little or no weight upon the foot when compared tc 
the rest of the limb. Take the case of the horse with 
turned-in toe or pigeon-foot, as it is called. It is a physical and 
an anatomical impossibility for him to lie upon his foot. I have 
seen two inches of space between the foot and elbow, and this 
individual horse had two shoe-boils of about two years’ 
standing. I was informed that they had been removed, but had 
returned. I have noticed that horses with turned-in toes rarely 
have shoe-boil. But this can be accounted for by the fact that 
they are not very common. 
The position which I have found animals assume, and which 
