Page:Horse shoes and horse shoeing.djvu/663

 obviate many of the disadvantages which usually attend the use of nails and shoes, and reduce others to comparative harmlessness.

The principal object in arming the hoof with a rim of metal is to protect it from the effects of wear. This was the intention of the inventor, and to-day it is our chief aim. To prevent the outer margin of the hoof from being broken and worn, by the simplest means in our power, is the cardinal problem with regard to the preservation of the horse's foot; and nothing appears to be easier to accomplish. Before our interference with that organ, its beautiful structures were contrived to meet every demand, and its manifold functions were freely and vigorously maintained. On soft or uneven soil, the entire lower border of the wall, the sole, bars, and frog came into contact with the ground: nature intended them to meet the ground, and there to sustain the animal's weight as well as the force of its impulsive powers. On hard or rocky land with a level surface, only the dense tough crust and bars, the thick portion of sole surrounded by them, and the resilient retentive frog meet the force of the weight and movement; and in both cases, not only with impunity, but with advantage to the interior of the foot, as well as the limb. The horn, in addition to its being a slow conductor of heat, is dense, tough, and elastic to a degree varying with different parts of the foot, while its fibres are not only admirably disposed to support weight, secure a firm grasp of the ground, and aid the movements of the limb, but are also an excellent medium for modifying concussion or jar to the sensitive and vascular structures in their vicinity. Nature has done her best to make these