ELASTICITY OP THE SOLE. 55 



quai-ters of a mile. The boy who rode her weighed 130 pounds, and 

 used a ten-pound saddle. The road was coated with gravel from the 

 beach, though the continual rains kept it somewhat softened, but at 

 times it was hard. She had worn tips from the time I adopted 

 them, and her heels were never bruised. I have never had a horse 

 with bruised heels which wore tips, though I expected trouble of that 

 kind when shoes were taken off and rejolaced with tips, as the heels 

 were not then in the proper shape. With shoes I have had horses 

 bruise their feet so badly as to suppurate, and, misled by a false 

 diagnosis, ascribed it to gravel, or something else than the true cause. 

 With the feet in the natural condition, it would be almost impos- 

 sible to bruise so as to injure the sensitive portion in that part of 

 the foot which is supposed to require protection. The wall is not 

 only very thick and strong, but the angle between it and the bars is 

 composed of a material which is nearly as dense, and when the wall 

 is only a trifle lower than the frog, there is an inch of this horny sub- 

 stance to protect the tissues above it. Shoeing, by doing away with 

 the natural functions, deprives this part of the sole of its tenacity, 

 and changes the elastic deposit into crumbling flakes. 



