393 FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 



THE HORSE'S FOOT. 



BY PROF, E. A. A. GRANGE, V. S. 

 [Read at the Institutes at Hanover, Three Oaks, and Bancroft.] 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen — I have selected for discussion 

 to-day *' The Horse's Foot," a subject of vast importance to all who are 

 engaged in horse traCQc, be they breeders, dealers, or casual owners, and trust 

 some facts concerning its structure in health and disease may prove interest- 

 ing and instructive. 



To begin with, let me say that I define the foot of the horse as being the 

 part of the animal embraced by and including the hoof, which parts are 

 invariably described by anatomists under two heads. 



The outside (the hoof) is called the insensitive or inorganic part, because 

 it has neither nerves nor blood vessels entering into its composition: it has no 

 feeling and is no doubt intended by nature to cover and protect the highly 

 organized and delicate structure underneath, in a manner similar to which 

 the common boot protects the foot of the wearer; while the inside structure 

 is abundantly supplied with both nerves and blood vessels, so much so that 

 I have heard it called the quick (living part) ; to this anatomists give the 

 name of sensitive or organic structure. 



THE HOOF. 



I will take up first of all, in brief detail, the outside part, or hoof, and of 

 its form may say that it has been compared to the segment of an oval opened 

 at the back, but I have often seen what I considered a typical foot in the colt, 

 before it had been altered in shape by the desires of an exacting master, and 

 the impression I received was that its shape resembled a truncated cylinder, 

 80 that its ground circumference would leave the impression of the segment 

 of a circle rather than an oval. The truncation, or cutting away of the 

 ground surface, is usually suflicient to produce an angle of say 45 degrees 

 between it and the front surface of the wall. 



The hoof is divided into wall, sole, and frog, which may be separated by 

 maceration (soaking), sometimes taking a good while- 



The wall, the part we see when the foot is on the ground, is composed 

 of horn fibers which grow parallel to one another from above downwards,, 

 and are worn away by attrition at the bottom. They are formed or srcreted 

 by a spongy-like pad at the top of the hoof, and I believe the rapidity with 

 which they are secreted is, to some extent, in direct ratio with the wearing 

 away of them at the bottom, and am therefore of the opinion that the unshod 

 hoof will grow quicker than the one whose lower border is protected by a 

 shoe. The wall is divided for the convenience of description into toe, quar- 

 ters, and heels; it has at its upper border a well marked groove, which is 

 studded by numerous minute pores, in which are lodged the terminations of 

 the blood vessels that pour out the horn substance. In the front feet the 

 toe is the thickest part of the wall, say one-fourth to one-half an inch, (the 

 hind feet are not usually so thick); the wall becomes gradually thinner 

 towards the heels. 



The quarters are the parts between the heels and the toe. The bars are- 



