296 Horseshoeing. 



enough to get it out of the way of the hind foot, and the toe of 

 the hind shoe is thrust into the opening of the still held up fore 

 shoe, and the outer edge of the hind shoe strikes against the inner 

 rim of the fore shoe and produces the sound. I have entirely 

 cured several horses of forging by merely causing the corners of 

 the artificially-squared toe to be removed and the toe restored to 

 its natural form. 



The best mode of treating the toe of the hind shoe of all 

 horses is to make it rounding and rather pointed, and to turn 

 up a small stout clip in the centre : the toe should be tole- 

 rably thick, as the wear is always great at this part of the shoe, 

 and the back edge should be rounded with a file, particularly for 

 Ikhscs at all likely to be put to fast work ; it prevents the chance 

 of " overreach," which, like forging, is often erroneously attributed 

 to the front of the toe, but is invariably caused by the back edge, 

 which in a half-worn-out shoe becomes as sharp as a razor. The 

 accident is very properly named, for the horse really overreaches 

 the fore foot with the hind foot, and the back edge of the toe of 

 the hind shoe in its return passage to the ground strikes the soft 

 part of the heel of the fore foot, and often produces a wound that 

 is very troublesome and difficult to heal. 



The only other portions of the hind shoe which require spe- 

 cial attention are the heels, and in dealing with them we must 

 depart widely from the principle I have hitherto advocated of 

 following nature as closely as possible. We are compelled to 

 have recourse to art, not however with a view of assisting, 

 much less with a view of improving, nature's contrivances, but 

 for the sole purpose of counteracting what, it must be con- 

 fessed, is to a large extent a necessary interference on the part 

 of man. Nature made horses witli flat heels, but she put no 

 sharp bits in their mouths ; she left them free to choose their 

 own time for stopping and their own mode of doing it ; but as 

 soon as they are subjected to the control of man, his heavy hand 

 and sharp bit pull them up without warning, and without the 

 smallest reference to the position they may chance to be in at the 

 time, or indeed without reference to anything but his own sudden 

 impulse. We must therefore do all we can to guard the poor 

 horse against the numberless strains and injuries incident to his 

 changed condition, and the best mode of effecting it is to raise the 

 heels of the shoe, and keep the natural heels as far from the 

 ground as is practicable without throwing the foot too much on 

 the toe. 



The plan I have adopted for many years past is to have the 

 heels forged longer and deeper than is commonly done, and when 

 the ragged ends have been cut off", the heels are made red hot, and 



