OBJECT OF SHOEING. 6^0, 



obviate many of the disadvantages which usually attend 

 the use of nails and shoes, and reduce others to com- 

 parative harmlessness. 



The principal object in arming the hoof with a rim 

 of metal is to protect it from the effects of wear. This 

 was the intention of the inventor, and to-day it is our 

 chief aim. To prevent the outer margin of the hoof from 

 being broken and worn, by the simplest means in our 

 power, is the cardinal problem with regard to the pre- 

 servation of the horse's foot ; and nothing appears to be 

 easier to accomplish. Before our interference with that 

 organ, its beautiful structures were contrived to meet every 

 demand, and its manifold functions were freely and vigor- 

 ously maintained. On soft or uneven soil, the entire lower 

 border of the wall, the sole, bars, and frog came into con- 

 tact with the ground : nature intended them to meet the 

 ground, and there to sustain the animal's weight as well as 

 the force of its impulsive powers. On hard or rocky land 

 with a level surface, only the dense tough crust and bars, 

 the thick portion of sole surrounded by them, and the re- 

 silient retentive frog meet the force of the weight and move- 

 ment ; and in both cases, not only with impunity, but 

 with advantage to the interior of the foot, as well as the 

 limb. The horn, in addition to its being a slow con- 

 ductor of heat, is dense, tough, and elastic to a degree 

 varying with different parts of the foot, while its fibres are 

 not only admirably disposed to support weight, secure a 

 firm grasp of the ground, and aid the movements of the 

 limb, but are also an excellent medium for modifying 

 concussion or jar to the sensitive and vascular structures 

 in their vicinity. Nature has done her best to make these 



