THE GREAT THICK-SKINNED ANIMALS 
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hard and soft ground, for traveling over rocks and stones, and for 
climbing steep ascents, over which it would seem impossible that such 
an animal as the horse could ever pass. If you could examine a horse 
which had never been touched by the shoer or blacksmith, you would 
find that there is not only an outer ring of horn, but also an inner 
cushion, called the “frog,” which rests upon the ground, and gives the 
foot a wonderfully secure hold. 
A horse which has never been shod can gallop over ice and never 
THE HORSE—AN ARAB STEED 
Noted for its beauty, strength, speed and its affection for its master 
slip, and can climb the side of a steep mountain which man himself can 
scarcely ascend. He can travel for scores of miles over the roughest 
and hardest ground, or can live in a soft and marshy district in which 
his feet sink deeply into the soil at almost every step. And yet, 
although they are in continual use, his hoofs will never wear out faster 
than they are renewed by nature; and, if we could examine them on 
the day of the horse’s death, we should find that they were just as 
sound and useful as when their owner was but just beginning life. 
