THE FROG IS NEVER ENTIRELY PROTECTED. 193 



of the sole, precisely those parts which have always 

 been covered and protected with iron, or, in fact, 

 deprived of all attrition, whilst the frog and sole get 

 some occasionally from inequalities to be met with 

 on almost every road. Both of these must, there- 

 fore, be exposed to the sharp points of the broken 

 flints in question to a very great degree, although 

 they do not hurt them unless a stone gets fixed 

 between the shoe and the sole. People ought not 

 to want to have such simple facts pointed out to 

 them ; they see them daily, and they are patent 

 enough. But no; people close the doors of their 

 minds, and when they have incapacitated the outer 

 rim of the foot from performing its natural functions, 

 they point triumphantly to it, as if the mischief 

 were not their own bringing about. Certainly, no 

 one must expect to tear off the shoes and be able 

 to put the animal to full work in five minutes after- 

 wards. Not only has no one been invited to act thua 

 unreasonably, but they have been warned against 

 it. For hardworking horses, that cannot be sus- 

 pended from labour, the use of tips has been recom- 

 mended. Keep on with the tips if you are satisfied 

 with the results they give you, for months if you 

 choose, or even altogether, if you are afraid to go 

 farther. You will, anyhow, have made a vast im- 

 provement. 



Here is another argument in favour of tips. You 

 may have an ordinary full- sized shoe put on in the 

 best manner possible, even inspected by the best 

 veterinary surgeon to be found, and one who will 



o 



