MANUAL FOR ARMY HORSESHOERS. 51 



40. The wear of the old shoe should be carefully noted as a check 

 on the preceding two examinations. If the shoe has worn evenly, 

 its position on the foot was undoubtedly correct. If one side of 

 the shoe shows more wear, (a) that side may have been fitted too 

 closely; (b) there may be some fault in gait which should have 

 been noted in the first examination; (c) the foot may not have been 

 properly leveled in the last shoeing; (d) the quarters, as frequently 

 happens, may have grown unevenly since the last shoeing. Horses 

 with long, sloping pasterns wear the shoe more at the heel, while those 

 with short, upright pisterns wear the shoe more at the toe. There 

 is a slight scuff at the moment of breaking over, which produces a 

 normal wear at the toe, but overworked horses and those suffering 

 from disease show more than this normal wear. 



REMOVAL OF THE OLD SHOE. 



41. The clinches are cut off or straightened with the clinch cutter 

 and hammer. The sharp edge of the clinch cutter is placed under 

 the edge of the clinch and struck with the hammer until the clinch 

 turns up flat against the wall or is broken off. If even one clinch 

 is left holding it may break off the portion of the wall to which it 

 is fastened. 



Beginning at the heel, each side of the shoe is loosened with 

 the pincers and, gradually working toward the toe, is separated 

 from the hoof until all the nails are free except those at the toe. 

 The shoe is firmly grasped at the toe with the pincers and is pulled 

 toward the center of the foot. If pried over the toe toward the 

 outside of the foot, part of the hoof may be broken off. Any stubs 

 of nails remaining in the foot must be removed. 



TO PREPARE THE FOOT. 



42. With the horse standing evenly on its feet, examine the foot 

 and pastern axes to determine the necessary changes, if any, to 

 be made besides the removal of the surplus growth of horn. Then 

 taking the knife in the right hand, back of the hand do^vn, the 

 blade coming out at the little finger, palm of tlie left hand supporting 

 the wall of the hoof and the left thumb on the blade to assist in 

 cutting and to prevent slipping, pare away the dead horn near 

 the uhite line until live horn is reached, being careful not to go 



farther back than the last nail hole. This is done to ascertain the 

 amount of horn that may be removed and to facilitate the use of 



