THE NATURAL FOOT. 151 



Horse Owners, pages 9, 10, and 11) the more the toe is 

 raised, while the heel remains on the ground, the tighter 

 will these structures be drawn ; hence, the more oblique 

 the foot, the greater danger will there be of sprain. 



The more upright the foot, the more direct will the 

 effect of concussion be on the sensitive lamince (the 

 membrane that secretes the inner layer of the horn of 

 the wall), on the pedal bone, and on the coronet ; hence, 

 the greater the susceptibility to inflammation of the 

 feet or of the coronet. 



As the unprotected hoof readily wears down by fric- 

 tion with the ground, it assumes, when the animal is 

 in a natural state, the slope best fitted to equalise the 

 risk of injury from concussion on the one hand, and 

 strain to tendon and ligament on the other. 



The horn of the sole and frog, when it becomes too 

 thick, exfoliates or flakes off", while that of the wall of 

 hoof will grow to an indefinite length, unless it be 

 subjected to friction with the ground, or to some 

 mechanical means for keeping it short. 



" If we place a fresh hoof that has never been shod 

 I mean one that has not been trimmed and dressed by 

 the farrier, and that belonged to an animal with no 

 hereditary defect in this respect on a table, we will 

 find that the crust, bars, and a considerable portion of 

 the posterior part of the frog are on the same plane 

 and must have sustained wear together. The outer 

 surface of the crust looks shining, tough, and solid ; the 

 sole is wonderfully thick, and the horn beneath the 

 flakes, if there are any, is moist, flexible, and easily 

 cut; while the frog, if it be a fore-foot, extends well 



