CADENCE
,—divested of its mere technical idea in the manege, is, in horsemanship, what time is in music, uniformity in manners, or consistency in conduct: a horse complete in his cadence, is to be considered perfect in his action.
CALKING, or Corking
,—is the projecting part erroneously formed at the heels of horse-shoes in general, particularly in frosty weather; at which time their utility may be admitted, and, in fact, cannot be done without, where horses are in frequent use. These calkings, however, cannot be justified upon any scientific principle whatever, without chance of accident to the rider, and of lameness to the horse; for upon level ground the horse cannot move but in a distorted motion; and if the prominence in the shoe comes into immediate contact with a rolling-stone, or a projecting part in the pavement, ligamentary lameness probably ensues. If it is found necessary to bring them into use at all, even in frosty weather, both heels should be equally raised, as there will be much less danger in a double than a single calking.