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CHAPTER Vril. 



THE FOOT AND SHOEING. 



Natural 

 wear and 

 tear of 

 hoof. 



In a state of nature the hoof is sufficiently hard, and grows with 

 rapidity enough to withstand the wear caused by the animal's weight 

 when travelling over natural country. The shape of the hoof and quality 

 of its horn differs according to climate and soil, and in hot countries, 

 where it becomes hard and dry, animals may be worked to a considerable 

 extent, without shoes. On roads, however, the natural growth of the 

 hoof is not sufficiently hard, or rapid, to keep pace with the extra wear 

 entailed by carrying or drawing a load, and to prevent them getting foot- 

 sore, it is necessary to shoe working horses with some substance harder 

 than horn. 



A rim of iron has been found the best for the purpose up to date, 

 and our object when attaching it to the hoof, is to cause as little damage 

 to the natural structure as possible, and yet secure it firmly. This 

 chapter will deal with the structures of the foot and their natural functions ; 

 will discuss shoes, and nails ; will point out how our purpose may be. best 

 effected, and show what errors to avoid. 



The Structure of the Foot. 



The bo7tes. — Buried in the centre of the foot and surrounded by the 

 soft, sensitive structures which produce the horn of the hoof, are the 

 small bones which form the last joint of the leg. They are the "coffin" 

 (pedal) bone, and the navicular bone ; and with the lower extremity of 

 the short pastern (coronet) bone, which reaches below the level of the 

 coronet, they form the foot (pedal) joint. 



The coffin bon e may be described as a pyramid, the back of which has 

 been hollowed out, and the ground surface slightly arched. It is a 

 remarkably porous looking bone, an appearance due to the large number 

 of blood-vessels with which it is provided, each of which is accommodated 

 in one of the minute holes covering its surface. Its actual position in the 



