DR. LEGEAR'S STOCK BOOK. 229 



CHAPTER XVII. 

 THE FOOT. 



The foot of the horse is undoubtedly one of the most im- 

 portant parts of the animal, and it is subject to many injuries- 

 and diseases, which, in part or in whole, render the animal un- 

 fit for the work he is intended to do. The old maxim, "No foot, 

 no horse/' is as true to-day as when first expressed. As the value 

 of the horse depends largely or entirely upon his ability to labor, 

 it is all important that his feet be kept sound. To do this it is 

 necessary not only to know how to cure all diseases of the feet, 

 but how to prevent them. The hard and rough work the horse 

 is compelled to do, and the abuses the foot is put to by defective 

 shoeing, are the fruitful causes of so many diseased and injured 

 feet. 



The foot may be said to be composed of the hoof and the 

 structures contained therein. Within the hoof may be found the 

 coffin bone, navicular bone, sensitive laminae, lateral cartilages, 

 planter cushion, and fatty frog. The hoof is composed of the 

 wall, sole, and frog. The wall is that portion of the hoof that 

 can be seen when the foot is placed on the ground. The frog is 

 the three-cornered portion of the bottom of the foot that ter- 

 minates near the center of the foot in a point. The sole com- 

 prises the remaining portion of the bottom of the foot. The frog 

 is composed of a soft, spongy tissue, and serves as a cushion to 

 the foot. The lateral cartilages are pads ,of cartilage (gristle) 

 placed one on each side of the foot in the region of the quarters. 

 They are just inside the hoof and act as a spring to the heel 

 while the animal is traveling. When they become diseased they 

 turn to bone and are then called side-bones. The coffin-joint is 

 situated deeply in the foot, and is formed by the union of the 

 coffin bone, navicular bone, and os-coronae. When it becomes 



