120 



DISEASES OF THE FEET AND LEGS. 



elasticity. Nor is it possible to view this horny box 

 and its contents without being struck with the admir- 

 able display of mechanism and contrivance which meets 

 our eye. We are apt to say, 'as strong as a horse/ 

 and some of us use horses as though they were made 

 of imperishable stuff; but surely, when we well con- 

 sider the subject, we shall see both the necessity and 

 the morality of using them with discretion." 



This description of the structure of the foot will pro- 

 bably better enable the uninitiated to understand the 

 seat and nature of various ailments of that part of the 

 horse which are here touched upon. 



Blaine further describes the construction of the hoof 

 thus : — 



" The hoof itself is conical, or rather, as Clark observes, 

 slightly truncated, and is a secretion as well from the 

 vascular parts of the foot as from the skin, as our nails 

 are formed from the portion of skin called quick. The 

 structure of the hoof is firm and fibrous. Externally 

 it is plane and convex, but internally concave and 

 laminated. The quarters are the lateral parts. As the 

 horn aj^proaches the heels it becomes soft and is re- 

 flected inwards. The heels are parted by the horny 



«^ (Z. 



Fig. 3. 



frog (b, fig. 3) ; and without, the frog on each side the 

 hoof inflects its fibres to form the bars which are seen 



