12 THE horse's foot, 



ly made up of blood-vessels and nerves ; it is one of the most 

 vascular and sensitive parts of the body, and is attached to the 

 lower edge of the sensitive covering of the coffin bone, — to the 

 bars, — and point of the frog, — and also with great firmness 

 to the whole of the arched under-surface of the coffin bone. 



The sensitive frog includes not only the part corresponding 

 to the sensitive sole, but also the peculiar spongy elastic sub- 

 stance which intervenes between it and the navicular joint, 

 and fills the space between the cartilages. The proper sen- 

 sitive frog is thicker, and less finely organized, than the sen- 

 sitive sole, possessing fewer blood-vessels and nerves. 



The coffin joint is formed by portions of the three bones of 

 the foot meeting together within the hoof;* and is furnished 

 with all the parts necessary to constitute a perfect joint. It 

 is rarely, if ever, the original seat of disease. 



The navicular joint.*]" — the least injury to which entails 

 such disastrous consequences. — is merely a sort of false joint, 

 or bag, formed between the under surface of the navicular 

 bone, and the upper surface of the tendon of the muscle, whose 

 office it is to bend the foot, by acting upon the coffin bone. 

 It is situated beneath, and somewhat behind the coffin joints 

 and is lined throughout by a delicate secreting membrane^ 

 for the supply of the fluid necessary to the even sliding of the 

 tendon over the bone, after the m.anner of a pulley. Any 

 diminution in the quantity of fluid, either from inflammation 

 of the membrane, or other cause, must produce friction of the 

 sides of the bag upon each other, and lay the foundation for 

 that train of fatal effects which must ensue, under such cir- 

 cumstances, to a part so constantly and vigorously emploj^ed 

 as the navicular joint ; — viz. first, — inflammation of the 

 membrane, — then ulceration and absorption of the gristle, — 

 and lastly, disease of the bone itself — a speck of v.'hich, no 

 larger than a pin's head, produces lameness that defies all the 

 powers of man to cure, and dooms the horse to a life of pain 

 and misery for the remainder of his days. 



Before treating of the preparation of the foot for the recep- 

 tion of a shoe, it is desirable to correct the generally received, 

 but erroneous opinion, that the shape of a perfect foot is cir- 

 cular, or very nearly so. It is this opinion that leads the 

 generality of smiths to direct their energies towards reducing 

 the foot to that shape as soon as possible ; indeed so impatient 

 are some persons to commence this work of setting nature 



* Page 50, fig. 6, t Ibid 



