In all the various positions of the limbs we find the feet in one of the following _three forms_, or very closely approaching one of them. By means of a proper knowledge of these three forms, the judging of the form, flight of the foot in travelling, and preparation of the hoof for the shoe, as well as the choice of the length of the shoe, are regulated, facilitated, and simplified. Whether a horse’s feet be observed from _in front_ or from _behind_, their form corresponds to, or at least resembles, either that of the =regular= position (Figs. 61 and 62), the =base-wide= or toe-wide position (Figs. 63 and 64), or the =base-narrow= or toe-narrow position (Figs. 65 and 66). By the _direction_ of the =foot-axis=—that is, an imaginary line passing through the long axis of the three phalangeal bones (Figs. 61, 65, 67, 68 and 69)—we determine whether or not the hoof and pastern stand in proper mutual relation. [Illustration: FIG. 61.] [Illustration: FIG. 62. A pair of front feet of regular position viewed from in front and from behind.] In the regular standing position (Figs. 61 and 62) the foot-axis runs straight downward and forward, in the base-wide position (Figs. 63 and 64) it runs obliquely downward and outward, and in the base-narrow position (Figs. 65 and 66) it runs obliquely downward and inward. [Illustration: FIG. 63.] [Illustration: FIG. 64. A pair of feet of the base-wide (toe-wide) position seen from in front and from behind.] _Viewing the foot from the side_, we distinguish the =regular= (normal) position (Fig. 68), and designate all forward deviations as =acute-angled= (long toe and low heel, Fig. 67), and all deviations backward from the regular position as =upright= (short toe and high heel, Fig. 69), steep-toed, or stumpy. [Illustration: FIG. 65.] [Illustration: FIG. 66. A pair of feet of the base-narrow (toe-narrow) position seen from in front and from behind.] When the body-weight is uniformly distributed over all four limbs, the foot-axis should be _straight_ (Figs. 67 and 69), not “broken” (bent); =the long pastern, wall at the toe, and foot-axis should have the same slant=. [Illustration: FIG. 67. An acute-angled hoof.] [Illustration: FIG. 68. A normal-angled hoof.] [Illustration: FIG. 69. An upright (“stumpy”) hoof.] [Illustration: FIG. 70. The “bear-foot.”] A peculiar form of foot is the so-called _bear-foot_ (Fig. 70), in which the foot-axis, viewed from the side, is broken strongly forward at the coronet. The wall at the toe stands much steeper than the long pastern and is more or less convex; in other words, a low-jointed, sloping pastern is attached to an upright hoof. Such a foot is sometimes improperly called a “club-foot.” C. Lines of Flight of Hoofs in Motion.