DETAILS OF SHOEING. 477 



'.•73. Position of Nails. 



Tlie j>usitiuii of nails in the fore-shoe is a mailer of great ini]iortanee. 

 There is greater wear on the toe of the shoe in ordinary use than on any 

 oilier }»arl. If the antertor nails are placed so far forward as to be sub- 

 ject to this extra wear, their heads will soon be worii off and the nails 

 will then lose their hold. The anterior nail on each side should there- 

 fore be placed just jjosterior to this extra wear (Figs. 7 and ".>). The 

 two remaining nails on the outside should evenly divide the distance to 

 the heels. On the inside, on which there should be only two nails, the 

 second nail should be placed exjictly opjtosite the second nail on the 

 outside. It is a practical fact, that nails jilaced exactly oi)positc to 

 eacli other have a greater holding power tlian if placed irregulai'ly. 



Five nails, as stated above, are sufficient. Therefore there must be 

 three on one side and two on the other. The inside is chosen for the 

 (.•mission of the third nail, because the crust on that side is thinner and 

 more clastic, and therefore atiords less hold ; and because contraction, 

 when it occurs, is generally found ou the inside. I do not think that 

 nailing is a real cause of contraction. But as tlierc is an opi>ortunity of 

 omitting a nail, I prefer to leave it out on the inside. 



J>74. Punching of Nail holes, and driviiuj of Nails. 



The Nail-holes should be })unched I'ather nearer the outside than tiio 

 inside of the web of the shoe, and should be brought out on the upper 

 side with a very slight inclination outwards, so as to diminish the risk of 

 pricking. 



The practice of punching nail-holes almost on the outer edge of the 

 web is, in my oi)inion, objectionable, as the nails do not get a sufficient 

 hold in the crust. When however the crust has been reduced in thick- 

 ness by constant rasjting, the nails must of course be driven very " tine ;" 

 but where the crust is sound and unrasi)ed, the })unching may be placed 

 as directed above, and certainly with great advantage to the holding 

 power of the nails. (Figs. 7 and 'J.) 



The nails should be brought out in the hoof about an inch above the 

 shoe. If brought out higher, there will be risk of injury to the sensitive 

 l)art of the horn. If lower, they will not get sufficient hold. But in 

 feet which have been maltreated, it will be safer to bring the nails out 

 somewhat lower. The heel nails may be brought out somewhat lower 

 than the toe and quarter nails. 



975. Nail heads. Countersunlc Nail-holes. 



A trrcat advantage is gained in the form of nails bv makiu'r use of 

 countersunk holes (Fig. D, Plate 51). With them the heads of the nails 

 can never Avear out, if they tit the holes, until the shoe itself is worn 

 through. With these n;iils (Fig. 10) the heads should exactly occupy 

 and completely till the holes. iS'o portion of the thin ])art of the nail 

 should be in the shoe, nor any portion of the thick }'art in the crust. 



