THE SHOEING OF HORSES. 7 



Plate III. 



Represents the ground surface of the foot. 



III. The Sole of the Foot. — The sole of the foot varies in 

 thickness to a considerable extent. Large feet, having a concave 

 or vaulted form of sole, are not unfrequently one inch or more 

 in thickness ; while in other varieties of feet, especially where 

 the sole is flat, it may not be half an inch in thickness. In feet 

 where the sole is convex, it is sometimes not more than one- 

 eighth of an inch in thickness. These are facts which bear essen- 

 tially upon the question, How much should the farrier pare from 

 the foot at the time of shoeing ? 



2 2 2. The Ground Stirface of the Wall of the Foot. — The 

 ground surface of the wall is the part which rests upon the shoe 

 when the latter is nailed to the foot. The wall of the foot, like 

 the sole, varies in thickness. As a rule, the wall Is the thickest at 

 the toe and the outside quarter. Numbers of feet present great 

 thickness of horn at the outside heel of the organ ; as a rule, 

 however, the wall becomes thinner at the heels, so that great care 

 is necessary in driving nails near to the heel. 



3333. The Bars. — The bars are a mere continuation or 

 Inflexion of the walls internally. As the wall approaches the 

 heels, it suddenly curves Inward, and takes the form of the letter 

 V inverted, coming to a point near the point of the frog. The 

 bars aid materially in keeping the foot open and broad at its 

 ground surface. 



