34 MOUNTED INSTRUCTION 



The art of horseshoeing' is simple, and not complicated. It mainly 

 consists in the removal of the wall, at the lower or bearing surface, 

 which has grown since the previous shoeing, the foot rasped to a 

 proper level all around, the shoe adjusted to its entire circumference 

 and applied. No other manipulation of the foot should be allowed, 

 except for therapeutical or surgical reasons and under proper authority. 

 There is an excellent order published, which I herewith submit for 

 your information : 



"G. O. No. 16, A. G. O. 1888. In preparing the horse's foot for the 

 shoe do not fouch with the knife, the frog, sole, or bars. 



'Tn removing surplus growth of that part of the foot which is the 

 'seat of the shoe' use the cutting pinchers and rasp and not the knife. 

 The shoeing knife may be used if necessary in fitting the toe clip. 

 'Opening the heels' or making a cut into the angle of the wall at the 

 heel must not be allowed. The rasp may be used upon this part of the 

 foot when necessary, and the same applies to the pegs. No cutting 

 with a knife is permitted ; the rasp alone is used when necessary. 

 'Flat-footed horses' should be treated as the necessity of each case 

 may require. 'In forging the shoe to fit the foot' be careful that the 

 shoe is fitted to and follows the circumference of the foot clear around 

 to the heels ; the heels of the shoe should not be extended back straight 

 and outside of the walls at the heels of the horse's foot, as is frequently 

 done. Care must be taken that the shoe is not fitted too small, the 

 outer surface of the walls being then rasped down to make the foot 

 short to suit the shoe, as often happens. Heat may be used in pre- 

 paring and shaping the shoe, but the hot shoe must not be applied 

 to the horse's foot under any circumstances. Make the upper or foot 

 surface of the shoe perfectly flat so as to give a level bearing. A shoe 

 with a concave ground surface should be used." 



The only rasping of the wall that can be allowed is in the removal 

 of the fringes which are left after levelling the surface for the shoe, 

 and the only cutting of the sole that can be permitted is the removal 

 of the loose flakes. A slight impression of a hot shoe to the foot may 

 be used to determine an uneven surface and level accordingly, but 

 nothing beyond .this use of the hot shoe should be allowed. As the 

 bars are part of the wall, it goes without saying that their bearing sur- 

 face should be maintained and never cut beyond the level of the wall. 



In proper shoeing the frog should be flush with the shoe, with no 

 nails driven close to the heel. In flat feet, accompanied with low 

 broad heels, "swelling" of the shoe at the heel may be allowed to avoid 

 excessive frog pressure. 



In contracted feet brought on from any cause, except navicular dis- 

 ease,^ tips should be used to develop the frogs and heels till normal 

 shoeing can again be restored. "To maintain a level foot bearing, 

 tips should be counter-sunk." 



The practice of hoof-dressing with oily substances or hoof-stuffing 

 with clay or other material is not to be recommended when the foot 

 is sound and in normal condition, even if it should happen to be hard. 



