Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Does Every Frog Hop Around?

When someone mentions the word, "frog" to you,  I'll bet you think of those bumpy, greenish amphibians that hop around the yard, or the lily pads. But they aren't the only kind of frog in the world. If you pick up a horse's hoof (his foot) you'll see a v-shaped thing in the middle of his foot. This is called a frog. What does this frog do? Well, it doesn't hop around, but it's very important to your horse because it absorbs shock when he walks and runs. As part of the grooming regimen, you inspect it every day. You make sure there are no stones lodged on the side of the frog, because that can cause lameness. You must also make sure that the frog isn't too hard, or too wet. If it's too wet, it can cause a condition called thrush, which can cause lameness and needs to be treated with medicine.
Did you know that a horse can shed his frog? If this happens, your horse will be uncomfortable until it grows back. It can take a few months for the frog to completely regrow.
Now you know that even frog who don't jump around can do some pretty important stuff.

1 comment:

  1. I knew nothing about this! Poor horses to be uncomfortable while their frogs grow back :(

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