FITTING SHOES 449 



foot and shoe come into contact. Instead of affording ease, it causes 

 an on-and-oft' jwessure every time the foot is brought to the ground during 

 progression. The surface fit of a shoe should be an even and level one 

 from toe to heel. 



Hot and Cold Fitting.— Shoes may be fitted either hot or cold. If 

 fitted cold, exactness can only be attained by the same long process that 

 is adopted by an engineer who has to fit together two pieces of metal. 

 All shoes have to be altered to fit a foot properly, and they cannot 

 easily be altered cold. That exactness of fit cannot be obtained by cold 

 fitting is amply j^roved by the number of loose shoes that occur when 

 it is practised, to say nothing of the injury to horses' feet from uneven 

 pressure. An iron shoe is easily altered when hot, and this advantage 

 requires the accompaniment of very grave disadvantages before it can 

 be shown that it is wrong. Counterbalancing disadvantages do not exist, 

 and therefore all argument is in favour of hot fitting, in addition to the 

 weight of universality of jjractice. Hot fitting facilitates the exactness 

 of fit, it decreases the time necessary for fitting, it does no harm to the 

 hoof, and it undoubtedly results in greater security of the shoe. Opponents 

 assert that hot fitting leads to excessive burning of horn, but this is 

 only an abuse of the method, and does not occur in the hands of a good 

 farrier. When a skjUed workman has selected a suitable shoe he heats 

 it in the fire, compares it with the foot, alters it on the anvil, and then 

 applies it to the hoof for a few seconds. Wherever the shoe touches 

 the horn it leaves a mark, and thus shows all irregularities. If the 

 horn is at fault a touch with the rasp corrects it, if the shoe is at fault 

 it is taken back to the anvil and altered. In this way exactness of fit 

 is soon attained and the hoof uninjured. The abuse of hot fitting takes 

 place when a hot shoe is retained on the foot until it beds itself into 

 the horn. There is no excuse for this practice, which is a sign of slovenly 

 work, and may be a source of injury to the horse. 



Clips are thin projections drawn from the iron of the shoe at the 

 toe or quarters for the purpose of giving stability to the shoe when on 

 the foot. By many jDersons they are looked upon as essential for the 

 prevention of shoes shifting on the foot. On some horses, from peculiarity 

 of gait, shoes have a tendency to shift inwards. This may be prevented 

 by a clip on the outside of the shoe. The tendency of a foot to slip 

 forward on a shoe is rare, and yet clips ai-e in Britain always used on 

 the toe of the shoe. The fact is, the toe-clip assists the farrier to fit 

 the shoe, and it gives steadiness to it whilst the first nail or two are being 

 driven. Clips .should not be long and narrow, but rather wide and .short. 

 They should be thin, and diawn with an inclination corresponding to the 



