288 Horsesliociiifj. 



the inside, the first nail should be rather more tlian an inch from 

 the centre of the toe, and the second about thi'ee-quarters of an 

 inch behind it ; by this arrangement the whole of the inner quarter 

 and heel are left unfettered and free to expand, and any undue 

 pressure on the sensitive parts of the foot, from the descent of 

 the bones into the hoof, is avoided. Fitting the heels will call 

 for a little extra care at first, as it involves the abandonment of 

 some deep-rooted prejudices and groundless fears. First, the 

 prejudice in favour of square heels projecting beyond the hoof, 

 both behind and at the sides, must be yielded ; and the fear lest 

 the smallest portion of the shoe should happen to touch the frog 

 must be given up, before anything like accurate fitting can be 

 obtained. The edge of the shoe must be made to correspond 

 Avith the edge of the hoof all round, from heel to heel, and to do 

 this effectually, and keep the web of the shoe as wide at the heels 

 as it is at the toe, the heels must be brought in until they very 

 nearly touch the frog. I would not have them bear on the frog, 

 but 1 would rather see them touch it than be able to lay my finger 

 between the frog and the shoe. 



There are many advantages attending the bringing in of 

 the heels, and not one single disadvantage to set against 

 them. In the first place, it removes all the points and pro- 

 jections by which stiff ground is enabled to pull off the shoe ; 

 in the next place, it affords a good, firm, flat surface for the 

 heels of the hoof to rest upon, and, by bringing the sides of 

 the shoe nearer together, the navicular joint, which lies in 

 the hoof above the frog and about an inch from its point, is 

 saved from many an unlucky jar from a stone in the road, by the 

 shoe receiving it instead of the frog. The shoe must not only 

 fit the edge of the crust, but the whole of the crust must have an 

 even bearing on the shoe, and this can only be effected by making 

 the shoe hot enough to scorch the horn, and applying it to the 

 foot. The quantity of horn to be thus destroyed, when the foot 

 and shoe have both been made as level as the smith can make 

 them, is vei'y inconsiderable, and the heat so applied can do no 

 harm. I would not have the shoe burnt into its place on the 

 foot without previous preparation, as is very often done to save a 

 little trouble, but I would have the hot shoe applied so as to 

 insure a close fit all round. A thin, weak hoo-f will not bear as 

 much heat, without inconvenience to the horse, as a strong one ; 

 but as a close fit is of even more importance to a weak hoof than 

 it is to a strong one, it is essential that the shoe be applied to it 

 hot enough to scorch the projecting portions of horn, in order 

 that they may be seen, and removed by a rasp. 



It is a very good plan, in fitting the shoe to the inner quarter and 

 heel, to keep the rim of the ground-surface of the web within the 



