HORSE-SHOEING. 99 



navicular joint, and it is covered by a thin layer of 

 horn, which keeps in the moisture ; and every time 

 you slice off any of the frog you lay bare a part that 

 was never meant to be exposed to the air, and it drys 

 and cracks, and forms rags ; and if these rags are cut 

 off at every fresh shoeing, the whole frog becomes 

 as hard and dry as a board ; and the horse gets an in- 

 curable disease, called " navicular disease ;" therefore 

 leave the frog alone, it will never grow too large ; for, 

 long before that would happen the outer covering will 

 shell off, and a new horny covering will be found 

 underneath; and as to the rags, leave them alone 

 also, and they will fall off of themselves. 



A weak, flat foot will bear very little paring, or 

 rasping ; the crust of such a foot is sure to be thin at 

 the toe, and low at the heels, with a thin and weak 

 sole ; therefore the less you do to it the better, beyond 

 getting rid of the little dead horn there may be, and 

 making the crust level, where it is to bear upon the 

 shoe ; this must be done to all feet, and, as the inner 

 quarter, where there should be no nails, does not wear 

 away as fast as the outer quarter, where the nails are 

 driven, you should place a rasp upon its edge aci ;ss 

 the foot, to be quite sure that the two sides are level. 



Before you pare out a foot, you should always 

 think of the state of the roads, and, if they are dry? 

 and covered with loose stones, or have been lately re- 

 paired, you should take very little off the sole of any 

 foot, because if you thin it, the stones will bruise it, 



