16 ARTISTIC HORSE-SHOEING. 



These tufts penetrate the horny fibres the same depth as 

 in the wall, maintaining- them in a moist, supple condition, 

 such as best fits them for their office. The sole is thickest 

 around its outer border where it joins the wal^thinnest in 

 the centre, where it is most concave. A peculiarity of this 

 part of the hoof is its tendency to break off in flakes on 

 the ground face when the fibres have attained a certain 

 length. The wall, on the contrary, continues to grow in 

 length to an indefinite extent, and unless kept within rea- 

 sonable dimensions by continual wear or the instruments 

 of the farrier, would in time acquire an extraordinary dis- 

 tortion. 



The Horny Sole for this reason is less dense and resist- 

 ing than that of the '' Wall," and is designed more to sup- 

 I)ort weight than to stand wear. 



The same authority, in describing the Horny Frog, states 

 that it ^' is an exact reduplication of that within the hoof 

 described as the sensitive or fatty frog. It is pyramidal 

 in shape, and is situated at the back part of the hoof within 

 the bars, with its point of apex extending forward to the 

 centre of the sole, and its base or thickest portion fill- 

 ' ing up the wide space left between the inflexions of the 

 wall. In the middle of the posterior part is a cleft, which 

 in the health}^ state should not be deep, but rather shallow 

 and sound on its surface. 



*'In structure, this body is also fibrous, the fibres pass- 

 ing in the same direction as those of the other portions of 

 the hoof ; but, instead of being quite rectilinear like them, 

 they are wavy or flexuous in their course, and present some 

 microscopical pecuJ-arities which, though interesting to the 



