574 AET OF SHOEING. 



the shoe ; cover to a moderately proportioned extent being 

 better for the foot than a rigid thick substance of iron. As 

 each separate half of the shoe is made, it is to be fullered 

 and stamped ; the outside first, in which we place four nail 

 holes ; very coarse holing not advisable, and therefore a clear 

 open fullering, leaving the outer edge of the shoe straight, 

 should be aimed at, and in stamping, the tool should be held 

 upright, and not so as to pitch the nail holes inwards. 

 Holes pitching in are dangerous, as in that case the necks of 

 the nails will press more or less against the quick. The in- 

 side of the shoe being next forged, is to be fullered and 

 stamped in turn, this should be finer fullered than the 

 outside ; the same directions hold good regarding the direc- 

 tion to be given the nail holes. We are supposing a saddle- 

 horse's fore shoe to be in hand, in which the nail holes 

 vshould be distant two inches and a quarter from the outer 

 heel extremity, and two and a half inches from the inner, 

 and about one inch and an eighth may separate each nail 

 hole on the outside, and one inch and two eighths those 

 on the inside, and an inch and five eighths to two inches. 

 According to the size of shoe may be the space between the 

 outer and inner toe holes. These directions for making a 

 plain fore shoe may be generally adopted, size not altering 

 the case, the number of nails we only alter in the case of 

 very small feet, when six nails will suffice ; and we some- 

 times increase the number to eight for large coach horses. It 

 must, however, be remembered, that with the variation in 

 the size of shoe so are the nails varied from Nos. 4 and 5 to 

 Nos. 10 and 12 ; thus the number of nails required does not 

 differ much in different sized shoes, the difference in size of 

 nail brings the effect equal in the different cases. 



What has been said about working the iron level, the ful- 

 lering and stamping of the fore will serve for the hind shoe. 



