50 PRACTICAL HORSESHOEING. 



By adhering to this rule, the horse can travel safely 

 and with ease in all weathers and over any roads immedi- 

 ately after shoeing ; the foot is maintained in a healthy 

 condition ; the sole can sustain its share of the weight, 

 and thus relieve the wall of the hoof; and should a shoe 

 happen to he lost, the animal can journey a long distance 

 with but little injury to the organ. 



Another of the many advantages derived from allow- 

 ing the sole to remain in its natural condition, is that on 

 a soft surface the hoof will not sink so deeply as one 

 whose sole has been hollowed out by the farrier, neither 

 is it so difficult to withdraw from heavy soil. 



Paring the Frog. — This part of the hoof is that which, 

 in the opinion of the grooms and coachmen, most requires 

 cutting, " to prevent its coming on the ground and laming 

 the horse ; " and this reason, together with its softer tex- 

 ture, causes it to be made the sport of the farrier's relent- 

 less knife. It is artistically and thoroughly trimmed, the 

 fine elastic horn being sliced away, sometimes even to the 

 quick, and in its sadly reduced form it undergoes the 

 same changes as have been observed in the pared sole. 

 No wonder, then, that it cannot bear touching the ground 

 any more than the sole. Strip the skin off the sole of a 

 man's foot and cause him to travel over stony or pebbly 

 roads ! Would he walk comfortably and soundly ? 



The artistically-shaped frog soon wastes, becomes dis- 

 eased, and at length appears as a ragged, foul-smelling 

 shred of horn, almost imperceptible between the narrow 

 deformed heels of the pared foot. 



The function of the frog in the animal economy is one 

 of great moment, and has already been indicated. It is 

 eminently adapted for contact with the ground, and in this 

 resides its most important office. To remove it from the 

 ground and deprive it of its horn, is at once to destroy 

 its utility and its structure, and withdraw from the foot 



