48 THE HORSE. 



tion of the sole, which envelopes the front and sides of 

 the foot, set up, as it were, vertically, and thence able 

 to contain nails driven in a vertical direction. This 

 wall then, or rim, is plainly the place on which to 

 fix a support and guard for the foot; for on the 

 wall, and the frog, in a sound and healthy state, 

 the animal naturally bears his weight ; and the frog 

 in a sound and healthy state, from its tough and 

 elastic nature, needs no artificial defence." (Philo- 

 sophical and Practical Treatise on Horses.) 



Subsequently, in the same work, will be found an 

 account of the general failure of the celebrated shoe- 

 ing system of La Fosse with lunettes or half moon 

 shoes, thinnest towards the heel, but which left the 

 heels entirely without defence, on the supposition that 

 they would require none, but that their natural growth, 

 thus encouraged and uninjured by the farrier's art, 

 would enable them to endure the wear and tear of 

 labour, the weight of the animal also having the addi- 

 tional natural support of the frogs, which it was 

 averred would by this plan increase in size and sub- 

 stance. This theory, however, which was conceived 

 chieflv from a view of the horse in his natural state, 

 proved on experiment to have a very slender relation 

 to him in a state of labour, particularly in that of 

 the saddle horse. Few of the horses bred in dry 

 countries, it may be presumed, have, even in their 

 natural state, a sufficiency of frog to reach the 

 oTOund, and of those bred on the opposite soils, the 

 frocks, if sufficient, are too tender to endure the attri- 

 tion and concussion of travel. The heels then must 

 be depended on for external support, and the frogs, 



