286 Horses] ioeiiig. 



them will not permit the heads of the nails to sink into tliem as 

 they ought to do. They appear to forg-et that the safety of a 

 half-worn-out shoe depends on the heads of the nails having sunk 

 well into the groove, and fairly blocked the bottom of the holes. 

 They are all impressed with the notion that a narrow fuller, with 

 sharp well-defined edges, looks neat and indicates skilful work- 

 manship ; and perhaps it does look neater than a coarse, open 

 groove, but it is attended with the great disadvantage of being 

 much less useful. An open fuller affords more space for the 

 head of the nail, and prevents its becoming tied in the upper part 

 of the groove before the lower portion has descended to the 

 bottom of the hole, which invariably happens when the fuller is 

 deep and narrow. 



Horse-shoeing at best is but a necessary evil, and cannot be 

 elevated to the rank of an ornamental art ; smiths had better, 

 therefore, confine their views to the utilitarian principle entirely, 

 and thereby endeavour to make it as little hurtful to the horse, 

 and as little inconvenient to his master, as they possibly can. 



Having cut off the heels and opened the nail-holes, the next 

 thing to be done is to turn up a clip at the toe preparatory to 

 fitting the shoe to the foot, which latter operation should always 

 be commenced at the front of the foot, and be gradually and 

 carefully carried back to the quarters and heels. Every shoe 

 should have a clip at the toe, to prevent the shoe being driven 

 back on the foot and bending the nails in the crust ; but I strongly 

 object to the clip, which 1 often see turned up on the outside of 

 a shoe, which is not only useless but destroys more horn than 

 two or three nails would do. 



No one doubts tlie fact of horses travelling safer and better in 

 shoes a week or two old than they do in perfectly new ones ; 

 and this arises from the fact of their having worn away a portion 

 of the iron at the toe, and thereby diminished the jar which the 

 foot had previously received from the front of the toe coming in 

 direct contact with the surface of the road. In order to relieve 

 the horse from any unnecessary jar to the foot 1 always have the 

 whole breadth of the toe of the shoe turn-ed up, so as to raise the 

 ground-surface of the shoe at the toe above the level of the 

 ground, by which arrangement horses are found to trip less, and 

 put their feet down with greater confidence. The plan of weld- 

 ing a lump of steel on to the toe of the shoe only makes bad 

 worse ; it increases the jar, is longer wearing away, and causes 

 the horse to trip more and for a greater length of time ; whereas 

 turning up the toe of the shoe obviates the evil at once, and 

 makes the shoe last quite as long as the steel would have done. 

 All feet will not bear the same amount of elevation of the toe: 

 strong feet will bear a arood deal, but flat feet with weak horn 



