NAVICULAR DISEASE. 85 



the frog or of any other organ is to let it do its 

 proper work without hindrance. 



There is another objection to cutting away the 

 frog, but this, as it relates to internal structure, the 

 illiterate farrier is not likely to know, nor to under- 

 stand it if he be told. 



The navicular bone, the importance of which 

 in the mechanism of the foot has already been de- 

 scribed, lies between the arms of the Y-like frog, 

 and if the frog be weakened by the knife, a wrong 

 strain is thrown on the navicular bone, which is then 

 tolerably sure to become the seat of inflammation. 

 Navicular disease is never found in the wild horse, 

 nor in our own horses until the farrier has worked 

 his will with their hoofs. 



