"Come on, Tommy, old boy," said their father, "open your mouth, and let the children see your teeth."Fred pointed out the six, sharp, cutting teeth, top and bottom. "There is no pad in the top jaw," said he. "The cow andthe horse do not feed in the same way. The horse nibbles the grass a mouthful at a time, and chews it up at once, before he swallows it. He does not chew the cud. Look at Tommy"s great grinding teeth. They are meant to crush up his food.
"The horse"s foot is not cloven, like the cow"s foot. It is one solid piece-a single toe; and this one toe is covered with a hard, horny case,or hoof."
"How do the wild horses manage, Fred? They have no one to make shoes for them. Oh, and I say, does it hurt Tommy when they nail those iron shoes on his feet?""One question at a time, dear, please," said Fred. "The wild horses live on smooth grassy plains.
Their hoofs do not wear out as they do on our stony roads. We put shoes on their feet to save them from wearing away on the stones. You will be glad to know that the farrier does not hurt the horse, when he drives the long nails into his hoof. The hoof is ahard substance like horn. It can be cut as easily as we cut our nails.
