THE ORDINARY TIP. Ill 



running a nail round the front half of a well-trimmed 

 hoof, except with fidgety horses, and some horses are 

 inclined to be fidgety in a forge, which is not much 

 to be wondered at. These are minutiae, but they are 

 worth while being insisted upon by the owner in 

 person. There is no necessity to inform a farrier 

 that there is an intention of endeavouring to dis- 

 pense with his services at some future date; if 

 things go well he will discover that in time, and 

 you will have spared his feelings for some weeks. 



Should the horse or two thus experimented upon 

 be found to do well, another couple or so could be 

 put through the same treatment, and the first 

 tried might leave off the tips on the hind feet 

 on the second shoeing ; on the third the front 

 tips might be discarded. In this manner some 

 people might be six months in getting through 

 their whole stable, but they would never have 

 any great amount of anxiety on their minds, es- 

 pecially as they can always revert, at any moment 

 they please (as the clergyman cited did, although 

 without the slightest cause, except ' funk,' for so 

 doing), to the full shoe. No one is incited to hurry or 

 flurry himself over it, but, on the contrary, every one 

 is advised not to rush at things. By so doing he will 

 lose little or no work of his animals, at the same 

 time that all those who surround them will take the 

 change in a kindlier manner. 



There is one observation to be made, which 

 attentive readers will have already thought out for 

 themselves. Although the foot will have greatly 



