PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS ON HORSESHOEING. 131 



tions, and at the same time use good, strong liniment 

 (but one that will not blister) on the cords of the 

 animal's leg, from knee to foot. This will prevent in- 

 flammation. If you wish to expand the hoof, never 

 put in any screws to force the same, as it is an im- 

 possibility to do it. If you desire to do it quickly, 

 use your medicine on the hoof-band of the horses 

 foot known as the coronet. When the top of the foot 

 is loosened and expands, the bottom is bound to go 

 out with the top. This is the only practicable way of 

 expanding the horse's hoof. 



Now for another point. A great many specialists are 

 going around advertising to cure swinney, shoulder- 

 jam, etc. I wish to inform you that there are no such 

 diseases known to the veterinary profession. Some 

 quack, whose grandparents left him an almanac of 

 about 1842 that tells how to cure three or four com- 

 mon complaints, thinks he has learned everything, 

 and at once starts out as a horse-doctor. He is the 

 only one who knows what these diseases are, and for 

 a certain amount of money he will guarantee to cure 

 anything. To cure quarter-cracks, you pare off all 

 your horse's quarters, the same as for corns. I some- 

 times use in this case a bar shoe, which I consider a 

 very good thing. In a great many cases you can 

 work your horse every day; but let it heal gradually, 

 as it takes some months to grow out a quarter-crack. 

 If it is a very bad case, grow it down as fast as pos- 

 sible; and when nicely grown down, sell or trade the 

 horse- to the best bidder. 



And now about the nails to be used in horseshoe- 

 ing. Some smiths use one size nail for all sizes of 

 horse — a 9 nail for ponies, and for horses weighing 

 1400 pounds. For a horse which weighs from 900 to 

 1050, I advise a 6 nail for the front foot, and a 5 for 



