576 ART OF SHOEING. 



mainly depends. And having dwelt much on the condi- 

 tion of the foot, and how to prepare it, we shall not have to 

 bake up much time here, for though this is a nice opera- 

 tion, yet it only admits of being effectively dealt with by 

 the learner, at the forge. After adjusting the heels of 

 the shoe, either by cutting them level or turning them up, 

 clear out the nail holes, take up a clip at the toe, and put 

 each parallel half of the shoe in the exact form of the foot, 

 and approximate the shoe to the required breadth, then 

 letting the left hand regulate the position of the shoe, the 

 hammer falling by force of the right hand, gives the form 

 and surface, adapted to the foot and ground, which, accord- 

 ing to the intelligence of the worker, is required. No 

 placing the shoe on the beak of the anvil, to elevate the toe, 

 should be adopted, the shoe being held by the tongs, near 

 the outer heel, the hammer should pass across it behind 

 the clip, the left hand being meanwhile slightly elevated, 

 and then bringing the hammer down, each limb of the shoe, 

 depressing the left hand as the hammer approaches the heels, 

 gives a full bearing surface across the quarter, which should 

 not be uneven, but exactly such as the normal foot maintains 

 when the unshod horse is free. The shoe is to be always 

 full to the foot, in obedience to the law that the pedestal 

 should possess greater capacity than the column it sustains. 

 We have omitted to say anything about hunting shoes ; of 

 late all manner of forms have been given to these; whilst we 

 make slight distinction between the mode of shoeing a horse 

 for training, for hunting, or to be ridden in Rotten Row. 



