The Arizona champion., 1890-09-06

you would trim young tree to make 1t grow right. Cultivate the hoof if you want it to be perfect. Shoe them when they are from six months to year old, once a month if you work them. with the assurance that you can get the foot in better shape when 1t rests on metal plato as base and support than without 1t Some have said that the feet of very few horses are perfect, and my experience goes to show that a a great number of those 1 encounter are so. Feet like those of Dexter and Sunol are rare exceptions; but there is little reason why horse should suffer with his feet, if his owner knows how to take care of them, and does it. There are many differences in horses in this re spect The weak, spongy hoof that af- hictS some that arc pastured on low ground, giving rise to curves and mal- formations, needs special attention in young horses The hoof of the thor oughbred, and, indeed, of any we'll cared-for horse, when trimmed properly, Is in straight lines, equally balanced and well-proportioned. For this reason horses that are pastured on high and dry lands have more uniform feet
 The rule that applies to the horses of the same formation of feet applies to thoroughbreds as well as others It should always be kept in view, in the training of young horse, that a great deal really depends upon feet as well as pedigree The soundness of the ami nal is very largely due to the manage ment of his feet; for even with we'll formed feet he may go lame unless properly cared for. A young colt should have shoes as soon as he is required to travel over hard roads. His feet must be protected, for horses foot shod can better be preserved than bare. At one year there Is enough hoot to keep 1t properly in place and to the proper size,
 Yet, even with all the care that is usually bestowed on young horses, have seen many cases of foot distortion. Of two brothers of the same breed, one will have 8 rigid hoof and that of the other will be arched. TheE again, there will be differences in the feet of the same horse; indeed all are mere or less peculiar that way. This is natural enough; for the feet grow like four different trees, some of them straight, others seemingly curved naturally. In formation of this description, the treatment is to make them grow alike, and this can only be done by trimming the hoof scientifically, so as to restore the balance c: tha foot and relieve the part on which an unusual strain has been imposed.
 4 rangy horse, If he be tidy in his gait, should be shod like another horse of the same gait, When too long in his gait, he should be shod as lightly as possible. In this way, in the matter of shoeing, the gait and other peculiarities of the animal should be studied and every thing done to secure his perfect freedom and comfort When we come to shoe horse for speed at trotting, there is no abso- lute rule as to the weight of the shoes, which must be adapted to the horses On the other hand, when a horse is to be shod to work at slow gait, his shoes should be of uniform weight for such purposei but it some times happens that horse intended for racing has to be shod differently on each foot, according to the condition of those members, In other words, the weight and form of the shoes must be deter mined by circumstances and by the con- dition of the horse, and particularly of | his legs and feet.
 It Is not too much to say that horse | whose feet are imperfect from any of the causes just named need never be expected to make consistently notable | record, The lasting quality is often im- paired by the condition of the feet, and l only those horses that have been either | endowed with perfect feet, | kept in that condition by an intelligent ! care, or those whose imperfections have been remedied by the application of scientific principles to the treatment of tue hoof, have succeeded in achieving great things. It is through the mastery of the science of the foot that MT. Bon ner has caused many of his famous horses to improve. The day is coming when this science will be generally rec ognized among horsemen everywhere.
 DAVID RoBERGE-