SHOEING OF THE FORE-FEET. 491 



his foot. This objection, if well founded, would be fatal to the proposed 

 plan, but the even wear of the shoe disproves it. 2nd. That horses will 

 be liable to fall and come on their heads when deprived of the fulcrum of 

 the toe against the ground. This objection will not stand inquiry. 

 Horses generally stumble from striking their toes against the. ground. 

 They are certainly not saved from falling by the length of the toe. On 

 the contrary, it is usually the length of the toe which first causes the 

 horse to stumble, and afterwards prevents him from recovering himself, 

 the toe forming the lever which overbalances him. 3rd. It is urged that 

 a horse must be much more liable to slip in turned-up than in ordinary 

 shoes. This objection, though at first sight it may seem formidable, 

 arises from misconception of the functions of the different parts of the 

 frame. The frog and bars are, from their structure, the stays of the foot 

 against the ground. Turned-up shoes, by causing the weight and wear 

 to be evenly distributed over the foot, develop the frogs and bars, and 

 therefore, instead of facilitating, must have a tendency to prevent slip- 

 ping. 4th. It is alleged that turned-up shoes are unsightly, and make a 

 horse looks as if he wanted shoeing. The first of these two objections is 

 a matter of opinion ; the second is a matter of habit. Lastly, it is urged 

 that the toes in the new-born foal are not turned up. Assuredly not, for 

 the feet have not yet been subjected to wear. 



995. Fitting of turned-up Shoes. 



Both skill and practice are necessary in fitting a shoe to the natural 

 tread. A farrier seldom succeeds well in his earlier attempts. The 

 following hints may assist the workman. The turn up of the shoe is 

 made on the horn of the anvil by beating out the toe of the shoe. The 

 process of beating out the web at the toe will necessarily make it wider. 

 This extra width must be removed by the file, for, as has been recom- 

 mended above, the web should be of even width all round. The breadth 

 of the turn up must be from the anterior part of the quarter on one side 

 to the corresponding part on the other side. The degree of turn up is, 

 of course, greater at the toe than at the sides. A very common error is 

 committed by merely turning up the point of the toe. This may be of 

 some use in preventing stumbling, but it is not sufficient to restore the 

 natural tread, nor to make the wear nearly even all over the shoe. To 

 effect this object the turn up must be broad, namely, from the anterior 

 part of each quarter. The farrier has always a simple guide in the old 

 shoe. Where he finds undue friction going on he must ease off the part, 

 and not attempt to fight against Nature by thickening it or by inserting 

 a bit of steel. 



996'. Action of the Fore-leg. 



With reference to the tread of the horse, it is a mistake to suppose 

 that in action he merely lifts up and puts down his feet. If he did so 

 there would be no objection to straight shoes, for such shoes would per- 

 fectly suit such a movement, but then there would be no progression. 



