In this also the foot-axis is our guide. If this axis is as it should be, the wall at the toe and the long pastern will have the =same slant= (Figs. 67, 68 and 69). If the hoof has become too long under the protection of the shoe, this will be shown by the foot-axis being no longer a straight line, but broken backward at the coronet (Fig. 98); that is, the hoof in comparison with the fetlock will be too slanting. By shortening the toe more than the quarters this faulty relation will be corrected (Fig. 100) and the foot restored to its proper slant. If the quarters are too long (too high) in comparison with the length of the toe, the foot-axis will be broken forward at the coronet (Fig. 99), and the hoof will be too upright. By shortening the quarters more than the toe the foot-axis may be made straight. =The plantar surface of the hoof is therefore correct (balanced) when the horse places the foot flat upon the ground in travelling=, and when the lines bounding the hoof, viewed from in front, from behind, and in profile, correspond to the direction of the three phalanges (foot-axis). Finally, this fact should be emphasized, that in changing from flat shoes to those with calks, or the reverse, the hoofs must first be dressed in accordance, so that the foot axes will remain straight, and the feet be set always flat to the ground when the new shoes are on. Each hoof, when ready for the new shoe, should be let down and the horse allowed to stand upon it while it is again carefully examined and closely compared with the opposite hoof. Only after such close inspection has proved the dressing to be faultless can the hoof be considered as properly prepared and ready for the shoe. _The two front hoofs and the two hind hoofs, when the legs are in the same position, should not only be of equal size, but also in proper relation to the size and weight of the body_. E. Preparing the Hoof for going Barefoot. This becomes necessary when the nature of the ground and the kind of service required of the horse render shoeing unnecessary. However, to go barefoot the hoof must have =plenty of horn=. After removing the shoes the =frog should be pared down nearly to the level of the wall=, and the sharp outer edge of the wall well =rounded off= with the rasp, in some cases as far as the white line, otherwise large pieces of the wall will readily break away. Hoofs with very slanting walls must be more strongly rounded off than upright hoofs. Going barefoot strengthens the hoofs. From time to time the condition of these shoeless hoofs should be ascertained by inspection, and any growing fault in shape or direction of the horn immediately corrected. It quite frequently happens that the sharp edge of the wall must be repeatedly rounded, especially on very oblique walls (outer half of base-wide hoofs), and the quarters may require frequent shortening, because they are not always worn away as fast as the horn at the toe. F. Making Shoes.[3]