OPENING THE HEEL. 61 



alba,' which, as I have already mentioned, is iden- 

 tical with the ' quick ' of the nail, and equally sensi- 

 tive. 



Unfortunately, when a shod horse picks up a 

 stone, the intruding object is always jammed between 

 the shoe and the sole, and must press upon the linea 

 alba. An unshod horse which has perfect hoofs 

 cannot pick up a stone, for the simple reason that 

 there is no room for it. Let the reader look at the 

 figure of an unshod hoof on p. 34, and he will see 

 that it would be perfectly impossible for the animal 

 to pick up a stone, the frog filling almost the entire 

 cavity of the hoof. 



Having now weakened and thinned the sole as 

 much as possible, the farrier is directed to cut down 

 the wall until it is scarcely higher than the sole. 

 This proceeding is ingeniously contrived so as to 

 bring the weakened sole within reach of the smallest 

 pebble. 



Next, the bars are attacked, and then the heels 

 ' opened ' ; this last operation being analogous to 

 removing the keystone of an arch. With regard to 

 the mode in which this system is carried out, 

 Mr. Fleming writes as follows : — ' I have seen in 

 forges, where horses were shod on " improved prin- 

 ciples," the blood oozing from the sole, which had 

 been pared as thin as parchment, as well as from 



