DETAILS or SHOEING. 479 



Tu tight nailing, properly so called, i. e. to driving well Lome the nails, 

 there is no objection. On the contrary, it is essential to the security of 

 the shoe. 



980. Importance of Nails and Nailing. 



I Lave dwelt at length on this subject, because it is really one of' 

 importance, as the best made and best fitting shoes will not remain on 

 the best feet unless due attention is paid to nails and nailing. Without 

 good nails and good nailing all the labour is thrown away. Again, I 

 have entered more fully into detail, because I advocate the use of a 

 smaller number of nails than usual, namely, five in the fore-feet, and six 

 in the hind feet ; and it is obvious that where few are used, the efficiency ■ 

 and right placing of each individual nail becomes of greater importance. 



Before quitting this subject, it may be as well to repeat that no trouble 

 should be spared to obtain nails of the very best quality. 



981. Fullered Shoes. 



By fullering is meant a gi'oove extending round the web of the shoe. . 

 The advantages sujiposed to be gained by it are — 1st, that the farrier is 

 enabled to punch the nail-holes more easily and more accurately than he 

 could do without the assistance of such an artificial line ; 2nd, that the 

 gi'oove will prevent slipping ; 3rd, that the nail-heads being in the 

 groove will be thereby better protected from the effect of wear. (1^ ig. 

 12.)^ 



None of these reasons have much force, A tolerably good workman 

 ought not to need the assistance of a fuller-line to guide him in punching 

 the nail-holes. Again, admitting that the groove may have some effect 

 in preventing slipping when the shoe is new, yet this advantage will be 

 lost as the shoe wears, and the horse, being deprived of this artificial 

 assistance, will be more prone to slip during the last fortnight's wear of 

 the shoes than if he had not had such assistance dux'ing the first fort- 

 night. Lastly, the groove does not protect the nail-heads any more or 

 even as much as counter-sinks. 



Fullering, moreover, is objectionable because the groove weakens the 

 shoe ; and, again, nails never fit so well or so tightly into the groove of 

 the fuller as into countersunk holes. 



982. Loss of Shoes' 



The ordinary causes of the loss of shoes are — -Ist, the use of bad nails ; 

 2nd, the non-removal of broken or defective nails ; 3rd, rasping and 

 mutilation of the crust ; 4th, filing of the clenches ; 5th, w^earing out the 

 head of the nails ; 6th, shoes wilder or longer than the crust ; and lastly 

 from the toe of the hind shoe catching in the heel of the fore-shoe. All 

 these causes are, as a general rule, preventable. Ai:cidents, no doubt, 

 Avill occur, but it can be safely said that shoes ought very seldom to be - 

 lost oft' trood sound feet. 



