— 388- 



ments of loose horn and old nails. In deep, well-made feet, the 

 sole requires paring out till it is in the form of a cup, but not too 

 thin — the bearing surface, or wall, to be made level for the new 

 shoe. This is all that is required in a sound foot. The frog must 

 be left to fill its functions. Above all, do not let the rasp be used 

 upon the surface of the foot, for it is the skin of the hoof, and by 

 its removal you expose it to every chance in moisture and dry- 

 ness, and leave it weak, dry, porous and brittle. 



The shoe should be a plain one, equally broad and wide from 

 heel to toe, and put on without seating ; for why bring a concave 

 foot in contact with a concave shoe ? The toe should be slightly 

 turned up, and not too short at the heels. The hind shoes should 

 be provided with heels. 



The nail holes should be three on the outside, and two on the 

 inside, and made straight through the iron, and not incline in- 

 wards, and the shoe fitted to the foot, and not the foot to the 

 shoe. 



Dray horses should be shod with tips, or toes and heels, which 

 secure firmness of tread, and greater power when drawing heavy 

 loads, especially in cities with smooth paved streets. 



Shoeing Unsound Feet. — Feet with corns, weak, flat feet, con- 

 vexed sole, and sand or quarter cracked feet, should have shoes 

 well seated : and it is advisable to throw some extra weight upon 

 the frog, for which purpose a bar-shoe should be used. (See Foot 

 Diseases.) Leather soles are useful in weak-soled feet when the 

 horse steps high and is much used upon city streets. One-sided 

 nailing answ^ers well for w^eak heels. Ring-boned animals should 

 be shod with easy fitting shoes, to avoid jarring. Horses having 

 a tendency to navicular or coffin-joint disease should have shoes 

 turned up a little at the toe, with the ground surface of the wall 

 well cut away, and the sole and frog untouched. The art of shoe- 

 ing horses consists in fitting a shoe to the foot of a horse, for the 

 purpose of protecting, and, at the same time, not injuring it. 



Shoulder Lameness. — This is produced b}^ a slip, or side-fall, 

 and is frequent with horses in cities having broad rails laid on 

 the streets for railroad purposes. In wet weather these ra.ils are 

 very slippery ; hence the horse has no foothold, the leg is stretched 

 far out before the animal and the muscles of the shoulders, and 



