HORSE-SHOEING. 



785 



obliged to keep tossing it up for nearly every mouthful, which gets the dust, etc., into his 

 eyes and nostrils. 



The feet of horses should be examined every night after work, to ascertain whether any 

 stone may have worked its way between the shoe and hoof. If so, it should be removed at 

 once, as lameness will be produced, if it is allowed to remain there over night. In all cases 

 in the care of animals, it is well to remember that they are susceptible to pain, weariness, 

 hunger, and thirst, as well as mankind, and to consider how we should like to be treated 

 were we in their place. 



HORSE-SHOEING. 



THE foot of the horse is inclosed in a horny case called the hoof, which corresponds to 

 the nail or claw of other mammals. The fore part of the hoof is the thickest, it being 

 about half an inch in thickness, and gradually growing thinner towards the back. 

 Near the heel it curves inward, forming what are called the bars. These are a prolongation 

 of the wall of the hoof, and their object is evidently to protect the frog, and strengthen the 

 foot generally. 



In the natural state of the foot, the bars are quite prominent; but in horses that have 

 been improperly shod, they are sometimes scarcely to be seen, 

 having been cut away under the mistaken idea that this mutilation 

 is essential in shoeing a horse. The outer portion of the hoof is 

 called the watt; it furnishes support to the body, and gives pro 

 tection to the internal parts. The front of the wall, or crust of 

 the hoof, is called the toe, the hindmost part the heel, and the inter 

 mediate parts the quarters. In the middle and back part of the 

 foot, within the bars, is an elastic, horny substance of triangular 

 form, or rather like a sharp-pointed V with the point turned 

 towards the toe. It occupies about one-fourth of the sole, and is 

 called the frog. Its use is to form a kind of elastic cushion on 

 The above cut shows the ground, which the horse s foot rests &amp;gt; and which greatly reduces the tre- 

 recdvina shoe^and ^inarks v-ery men dous shock and f orce of the jar occasioned by the hoof striking 

 distinctly the difference between the hard ground, or pavement. When at rest, and with every step, 



the curvature of the outer and in- ** 



ner quarters. -a, the toe-rasped the natural foot, unshod, permits the frog to rest upon the ground, 



away to receive the turned-up 



shoe; a i .the inner toe; a 2, the the frog at the same time pressing directly upon the navicular 



outer toe; b 1, the inner quarter; 



b 2, the outer quarter; c i, the joint, and the tendons which are beneath it. 



tuner heel ; c 2, the outer heel; d 



ad, the sole; e e, the crust or wall it evidently corresponds to the elastic, epidermic pads on the 



of the hoof; //, the bars; ff g, the * 



commissures; h k i, the frog; h, soles of the feet of such animals as the lion, tiger, camel, dog, cat. 



the part immediately under the 



navicular joint ; k, the oval cleft etc. The great mistake made by ignorant farriers, in cutting 



of the frog; I, the elevated bound 

 ary of the cleft; i i, the bulbs of away this important part of the foot, can readily be seen, when 



the heels. J 



once its use and importance are considered. 



The sole is that part of the foot which has a nearly plane or slightly concave surface, 

 and extends from the frog to the wall of the hoof. It is horny and hard, yet, at the same 

 time, somewhat elastic. The outer or non-sensitive portion of the sole protects the inner 

 portion from injury, as it comes in contact with the ground, and also aids the wall in sup 

 porting the weight of the horse. The sensitive portion of the sole, lying next to the outer or 

 non-sensitive, aids the horse in traveling, through the sense of touch, so that he can place 

 his foot on the ground in such a way as to favor it. It also furnishes the outer sole with 

 material for its growth or replacement, when worn away. 



FIG. 1. HORSE S FOOT. 



