ELEMENTS OF HIPPOLOGY. 



125 



function of this varnisli is to retain tlie moisture of tiie horn, 

 which shrinks on drying and is liable to crack. The interior face 

 of the wall is composed of the insensitive laminae. 



The sole is a horny plate, fitting into the wall, strongly ce- 

 mented to it and with a V-shaped opening in the back that is 

 lined, for two-thirds the distance from the heels, by the bars 

 above referred to. The ground surface of the sole is arched so 



that, in its natural state, 

 it does not come into con- 

 tact with the ground. 



The frog is a soft, horny 

 wedge, let into the angle cf 

 the bars and sole, and lying 



f under the plantar cush'on. 

 It is quite (beply fkft at 

 the heels into t\.o parts 

 that unite towards the angle 

 of the V. 



^ In its natural, healthy 



state the frog rests on the 



lary ground to act as a stay 



against slipping. For this 



frog purpose a healthy frog is 



I'-iGURE 8.3.- Hoof, Fhog, Coronary much better than any arti- 



Band, and Ankle. 



ficial arrangement. 



The fore foot is rounder, more spread out, less concave, and 

 a little wider than the hind foot. Its heels are closer together, 

 and the angle of its wall is usually more oblique than the hind foot. 



The hoof-wall grows downward from the coronary band. 

 The new growth is always at the top, pushing the old growth 

 downward. This old growth must be removed, either by natural 

 wear, in the unshod horse, or by the blacksmith when the horse 

 is shod. The sole and frog grow in the direction of their 

 own thickness, and surplus growth scales off, unassisted. 



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