STABLE MANAGEMENT 247 



in a flat country, especially when the horse has to draw 

 a load. There is a considerable difference, too, in individual 

 horses, one animal wearing his shoes out quicker than 

 another ; but generally speaking shoes should last a month, 

 and if they last longer the shoes ought to be taken off, 

 the extra growth of the horn removed, and the shoes 

 replaced, and with many animals this remove is preferably 

 carried out every three weeks. It is a frequent cause of 

 animals going short in their action, or becoming afflicted 

 with corns, when the shoes have not been removed soon 

 enough, and they have become embedded in the hoof. 



The shoe must be as long as the crust, both being of 

 precisely the same length, for if the shoe of the fore-foot 

 is longer than the heels the hind-foot is liable to tread on it 

 and pull it off ; whilst if it is shorter it will be likely 

 to press on the seat of corns, and so produce that malady. 

 But a three-quarter tip, which is often of great use in 

 certain cases, is quite safe to employ, since it does not 

 extend so far back as the seat of corn, and so no evil 

 can be caused b}'^ the shortness of this shoe. 



A good workman fits the shoe so that its outer edge 

 is neither smaller than the crust nor overlaps it, just 

 corresponding exactly with the curve of the hoof after 

 he has lowered the crust and rounded it off, chiefly by 

 using the rasp. A second-rate man does not take the 

 trouble to do this, and putting on a shoe slightly smaller 

 than the crust, proceeds to fit the foot to his shoe, rasping 

 down the crast until the fit is at length accomplished. 



The number of nails, and the situation of the nail-holes, 

 are both matters for careful consideration. Six nails are 

 quite sufficient for the fore shoes of hunters, though for 

 hacks or carriage-horses five are usually sufticient ; and in 

 this case these should be round the toe, and on the outside 

 of the foot, the reason being that the outer crust is slightly 

 thicker than the inner, especially towards the heels. For the 

 hind-feet six nails are necessary, for greater stress is thrown 

 upon the hind shoes in galloping, leaping, or kicking, and 

 therefore they are more likely to get twisted out of their 

 position than the fore shoes. No nails should on any account 



