The Hoof
The Foot
(General Concept)


Fig.1                                            FIg.2

     A horse's foot is really a single toe, and the hoof is a thick "toenail". The tip of the toe bone fits within the hoof (Fig3 & Fig4)), and the heel angles upward. The bone is so porous that it looks somewhat like pumice stone. The toe bone and two other bones make up the horse's foot. All fit within and are protected by the hoof capsule (Fig1). 
The hoof is a boxlike part made up of the same kind of material as a man's fingernail.


Fig.3

     The part of the hoof that we see (Fig.1/b, f) when the horse's feet are on the ground is the wall (Fig.2/c). The wall protects the front and sides of the foot. It is longest in the front and decreases toward the back of the foot. Horseshoes are putting a shoe on the underpart of the wall to help protect it from extensive wear. The shoes must be changed and the hoofs trimmed approximately every sixth week. A hoof grows about one-third inch in six weeks in healthy horse. 


Fig.4

     The sole (Fig.2/A1, A2) covers most of the undersurface of the foot and is arched to protect the bones and soft parts of the foot above it (Fig.4). The frog (Fig.2/C, C1) is a soft elastic section shaped like a triangle with its base at the heel and its apex pointing forward. It is a shock absorber, cushioning the jarring impact that occurs every time the animal's foot comes in contact with the ground.

 

 

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The nature of the hoof  

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