SHOEING. 199 



Be careful that the shoe does not project beyond the wall 

 and vice versa. If the shoe be too small, it must be opened 

 by the smith, or a larger one substituted. On no account 

 must the bottom of the wall be rasped down to make it 

 correspond in periphery with the outside rim of the shoe. 



Calkings^ in my opinion, are analogous with high-heeled 

 boots and shoes so fraught with injury to the human foot 

 and spine. In the case of the hunter, however, they are 

 advantageous in so far that in taking off from slippery 

 ground, they give him a better foothold and consequent 

 purchase. In the front feet they are not to be thought of, 

 and those applied to the hind should be moderate in height, 

 and applied to the outside quarter only. 



Tips, to which in describing the Charlier system I have 

 already referred, will be found admirably adapted to every 

 description of work when the frog is on the ground and 

 the foot in its normal condition. In cases where the heels 

 are contracted, they will be found especially useful. They 

 mus: taper off in thickness, not in width of web, towards 

 the ends, and as in the case of the Charlier shoe, a groove 

 should be cut in the wall of the hoof to receive these thin 

 ends, so that they may be flush with the posterior portion 

 of the ground surface of the hoof. 



Brushing, Cutting, or Interfering, whether before or 

 behind, is not only annoying in that it produces lameness, 

 but is positively dangerous. This faulty, hitting action is 

 caused by the inside quarter of the hoof brushing or striking 

 the ankle of the opposite leg. At first, when discovered, 

 the evil must be mitigated by placing an india-rubber ring, 

 or a rounded bit of leather with an elastic strap or joint, 

 round the pastern, which acts as a buffer or guard. With- 

 out some such protection, a deep wound, with consequent 

 inflammation and enlargement, will ensue. Permanent 



