638 HORSE-SHOES AND HORSE-SHOEING. 



toe, and is full, round, and solid, with perhaps a few loose 

 shreds in process of exfoliation, and the cleft extending 

 to a very slight depth. In consistence it resembles a 

 piece of india-rubber, if in a moist condition ; but if dry, 

 then it is harder and less vulnerable. This is the con- 

 dition in which the hoof should be studied by every horse- 

 man and every farrier ; as it is the condition in which it 

 should and can be maintained by careful management and 

 shoeing. 



I much regret that I cannot in this work enter more 

 fully into the anatomy and physiology of this important 

 region of the horse's body ; to give anything like an 

 adequate idea of these would require a larger space than 

 I now have at my command, and indeed is a proper sub- 

 ject for a special treatise. 



As my object here is merely to show the use and 

 abuse of shoeing, I may have said sufficient to show that 

 in the unshod foot of an animal that has not been im- 

 properly reared, and has descended from sound stock, we 

 find a perfect organ adapted to meet all natural require- 

 ments. 



Domestication, and the necessities of man, however, are 

 apt, unless carefully guarded against, to change the cha- 

 racter and healthy condition of this and other organs. 

 In our climate and state of civilization, the horse taken 

 from pasture to share in the artificial existence of his 

 master cannot long travel without protection to the hoofs. 

 Travelled for a short distance only on hard roads during 

 wet weather, the crust of the hoof at the toe and quarters 

 is worn and broken away, and the sole becomes diminished 

 in thickness; the frog resists wear better than either. 



