avery's own farrier. 131 



horse was lame or unsure, and they would blame the 

 smith because their horse was lame, tender- footed, hoof- 

 contracted, &c. Now in my estimation, what causes pain, 

 inflammation, rotten feet, and even death itself, never adds 

 anything to beauty. The frog is the natural brace and 

 support of the foot, and will endure more knocking and 

 pounding on the pavement or macadamized road without 

 injury, than the horny part of the hoof — yes, and even 

 the hardest shoe that was ever made. The frog is made 

 elastic and springy for this purpose, and will stand more 

 friction and hammering than two pieces of hardened steel 

 of the same size. It would have been better for many 

 a horse if the art of shoeing them had never been in- 

 vented, than to have been treated as they have been in 

 this respect. Most of the contracted hoofs, pumiced feet, 

 and all those kindred diseases of the feet, are attributable 

 to this abominable practice. By continually paring 

 away the frog, it causes it to shrivel up, and in time you 

 get an inferior one, and then the hoof contracts to it, and 

 thus come narrow heels. The broad heel, round and 

 tough foot that nature formed is lost. Therefore the im- 

 portance of never making the frog acquainted with the 

 knife at all, nor any edge tool whatever (except in a state 

 of disease"), can not be too often repeated to the smiths, 

 nor to others in charge of your stables. No, not even the 

 ragged part thereof should ever be touched with the knife, 

 for this helps serve as a protection to the envelope or 

 membrane beneath, which again shields the more sensi- 

 tive part of the foot; and nature will take care of it with- 

 out our aid, or cast it off as fast as it becomes cumber- 

 some to her. 



