THE HORSE. 47 



late Mr. White, a very popular and useful veterina- 

 rian, came to a hasty conclusion on this topic, when 

 he asserted, that " the feet of all horses which have 

 not been taken from a state of nature, or improperly 

 shod, are nearly of the same shape." The real fact is, 

 dame nature seems to have made nearly the same 

 blunders in that respect as her pupil art. As to a 

 particular description — " The foot of the horse is sur- 

 rounded and defended in front, sides, and at bottom, 

 by the horny sole, an lingular substance, thicker 

 than the human, in proportion as the animal is larger. 

 The heels partake of the same kind of defence, but of 

 a thinner texture. The foot, being open at the back 

 and not surrounded by the firm sole as in front, is ob- 

 viously in need of support ; and the intervening frog- 

 is destined by nature to that office; on which account, 

 and having so large a portion of the general mass to 

 sustain, particularly while the animal is in a state of 

 inaction, it is composed of a very tough and elastic 

 substance. The frog moreover serves as a cushion, 

 rest, or salient point for the tendon, or flexor muscle 

 of the back sinews. The bars or binders are those 

 parts situated between the heel and frog, and which, 

 by a mutual resistance from within, help to dilate 

 and oppose the contraction of the heels. The horny 

 defends the fleshy sole above it, and i;he internal 

 parts of the foot, from the accidental contact of hard 

 bodies; but from its concave form, appears not to 

 have been intended by nature to bear weight, except- 

 ing round the extremities adjoining the wall. The 

 wall, or crust of the foot, is the thick edge surround- 

 ing it, from heel to heel, it is the bottom of that por- 



