142 



BEGINNINGS IN ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 



wall of the hoof and the frog. This part is slightly concave 

 or arched. The entire back part of the hoof is called the 

 heel, and this should be neither low nor high, having only 



enough height above the 

 ground to give the foot 

 strength and protection. 

 The heel should have 

 about the same slope as 

 the front part of the hoof, 

 which is about 45 to 50 

 degrees. The hoof should 

 be free of cracks and not 

 be brittle, defects that are 

 all too common. Most 

 people prefer a dark-col- 

 ored hoof, believing it 

 tougher and less liable to 

 break than a white one. 



The heart girth or 

 chest is the circumference 

 of the body just back of 

 the shoulders. A deep, 

 full chest indicates vigor 



and constitution. A de- 

 Fig. 71. THE FOOT OF THE HORSE. . , 



1. (a) Nail properly driven; (b) improperly prCSSlOn back OI the 



2. A so v und foot. shoulders shows lack 



3. A section across 2 at X. 



4. A contracted foot. 



4a. A section across 6 at X. 



5. A section across 7 at X. 



6. A sound but flat hoof. 



7. A badly contracted foot. 

 Reproduced from Special Report on "Diseases 



of the Horse." U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Straight and short, 

 .Plate 34, 1890. .1 *i i i 



the ribs widely arched. 



A considerable depression or sag of the back is a sign 

 of weakness. The back extends from the lower end of the 



of 



room for those vital or- 

 gans, the heart and lungs. 

 The back should be 

 with 



