196 HORSEMANSHIP. 



The following few rules may be observed with advantage : 



Stopping the feet previous to a horse being shod or re- 

 moved is unnecessary. The object of such softening of the 

 hoofs is to enable the farrier to use his drawdng-knife freely, 

 which implement, if used at all, should be confined to paring 

 away jagged parts of the frogs or detached flakes of the sole. 



Ifa horse be awkward at and object to shoeing, before 

 resorting to Galvayning, or the twitch, let him be bridled and 

 saddled and ridden by the groom w^ho usually exercises him 

 to the forge, and let him be shod wath the man on his back. 

 Many horses will not yield their feet up without some force. 

 An impromptu and effective method of securing the hind legs 

 so that the smith can work with safety, is to put on an old 

 and strong cart collar with hames. Get a good pliant stirrup 

 leather, and taking two turns with it round one of the hind 

 pasterns, stop it with a piece of cord or spun yam close to 

 the joint. Then buckle it in front so as to form a loop. To 

 this loop attach a stout smooth twelve foot length of half- 

 inch rope, or better still, a strong strap. Bring the rope 

 of strap forward between the fore legs through the bottom 

 of the collar, round which take a double turn. Haul 

 steadily on this, gathering in the slack, till the foot to be 

 shod is raised well off the ground and brought forward in 

 a position convenient for the smith to work on it. When 

 in position secure it there by taking a turn round the pastern 

 with another stirrup leather, which buckle tight over the 

 hamstring some inches above the hock. Care must be 

 taken that the horse is not kept too long in this constrained 

 position, or he may fall from fatigue. 



When the shoe is being removed it must not be wrenched 

 off. See that the clenches are first turned back and the 

 shoe only just sufficiently released from the foot by the 

 pinchers for them to seize the heads of the nails, which 



