FROG — FROST NAILS 



and lose control of the animal in front of, or under him. 

 Many horses are by nature extremely timid, and if these 

 are alarmed by something they see or hear it may be very 

 difficult to stop them when they once get going. Defective 

 sight is a very common cause of fright, as objects become 

 distorted owing to the impaired vision to such an extent 

 that the animals are almost driven mad. It may be added, 

 too, that they are terribly affected by fear of fire, and that 

 many of them evince a great aversion, if not terror, at the 

 sight and smell of blood. (See Bolting, Cataract, Eyes?) 



Frog. — The frog is a wedge-shaped, elastic cushion of 

 soft horn, which extends from the back of the foot, being 

 attached to the coffin bone by a series of fibres. Its duty is 

 to reduce concussion, and hence the absurdity of tampering 

 with it by cutting a portion away, as many shoeing smiths 

 will if they are not stopped. Owing, however, to the practice 

 of shoeing horses, it necessarily follows that under the 

 ordinary methods the frog is raised above the ground, and 

 hence its usefulness is diminished. In cases of lameness, 

 however, when the shoes are removed it becomes of great 

 assistance to the horse. Owing to its position, nature, and 

 the incompetency of shoeing smiths, the frog is a victim 

 of injuries and diseases which require attention if serious 

 consequences are to be avoided, and it must, therefore, be 

 remembered that a healthy, well-cared-for frog usually 

 means a healthy foot. (See Cojttracted Feet, Foot, Shoeing, 

 Thrush^ 



Frost Nails are nails fixed in the shoes to prevent horses 

 slipping in frosty weather. They are usually nails of rather 

 greater length than those in ordinary use, so that the heads 

 need not be driven into the shoe as is customary, but be 

 flattened down so as to grip the ground, for which purpose 

 steel heads are the best. Another plan is to have extra 

 holes punched in the shoes at the heels and sides of the toes 

 in a slanting direction, so that nails can be driven through 



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