SHOEING. 565 
are pumiced or very flat and thin, which must be shod with the concave- 
seated shoe. 
3. The French shoe (page 560), if a smith can be found to make it ane 
put it on properly, is particularly well adapted for those horses whose 
action is high, but whose feet come to the ground with the toe first, by 
which this part is rapidly worn away. 
4, The half-moon shoe (page 562) is worth a trial on colts with sound 
feet, intended to be kept for home use. 
5. The bar shoe (page 563) is specially valuable for tender frogs, o1, 
when these are sound, for corns and weak heels and quarters. 
6. The patten (page 564) cannot be used in any work beyond a slow 
walk, but it is invaluable after accidents to the flexor tendons or sus- 
pensory ligament, or in bad curbs. 
7. The leather sole (page 564) may be used with great advantage for 
horses with high action, and having weak soles or frogs, or with tender 
feet from laminitis, provided the crust is sound enough to bear the extra 
strain from the longer purchase on the nails. 
WHEN THE CHOICE OF THE SHOE 18 ARRIVED AT, the next thing is to 
make it and put it on. The former is a mechanical operation, which can 
scarcely be learnt without actual demonstration, and I shall omit all 
account of it here ; but I may remark that a detailed description of it is 
given by Mr. Miles, in his little book on Horse Shoeing, to which I have 
before alluded, illustrated by most beautiful lithographic drawings. But 
with regard to the latter operation, so much depends upon it, and it is 
often so carelessly performed, that the master, or his confidential servant, 
should occasionally, if not always, superintend it ; and unless he knows 
what ought to be done, he might as well stay at home. Of course, the 
smith will have previously decided how much horn the horse will bear to 
have cut away at the toe, and will have made his shoe accordingly. Then 
having roughly reduced this part, and cleared out the sole and frog as 
much as he thinks is necessary, he must finish his fitting by gently apply- 
ing the shoe in a hot (but not red) state, without which he cannot tell 
where to apply his knife. There is often a great outcry made by igno- 
rant men against this plan; but the fact really is, that the light touch 
which is necessary for the purpose merely scorches the surface of the 
horn, and has no effect upon the parts beneath. If, as is sometimes done, 
a red-hot shoe is made to burn its way to its level bearing, mischief may 
of course be done; but this is an abuse of the plan, which no smith of 
the present day will be likely to adopt, and should not be allowed to 
frighten a master into giving orders that his shoes shall be “ cold fitted.” 
Engineers, in their fine fittings of one metal with another, are obliged 
either to smoke or to cover with red lead the surface which is to be fitted, 
and where this leaves its marks they apply the file. In the same way the 
shoeing smith uses the hot shoe to colour the horn, which it need only be 
heated enough to do, and wherever he finds the mark he uses the knife 
to pare away a slice of horn, until the whole shoe takes a level bearing. 
Sometimes the smith heats the toe of the shoe first, and fits that part 
before he adapts the remaining portion to the heels; but if he has an 
eye for his work, he will have little difficulty in making two level sur- 
faces, and by preparing the toe with the knife, he can adjust it and the 
whole surface of the crust by one heating. Unless, however, he is a clever 
operator, it is better to do this at twice, and it may even he safer to 
spring the heels of the shoes before fitting the toe, which will prevent all 
danger of burning the former while he is doing this. The plan, however, 
