SHOES 



The only safe course for him to pursue is to hold his coach- 

 man or groom responsible for any experiments the shoeing 

 smith may indulge in, and if neither he nor his servants 

 understand the requirements of the case, he ought to obtain 

 the advice of a veterinary surgeon and insist upon having 

 it carried out to the letter. Why it is that the Farriers' 

 Company and other ruling bodies do not offer special induce- 

 ments to capable shoeing smiths to come forward and, by 

 passing a special test, receive diplomas of efficiency, it is 

 impossible to imagine, as the farrier who won honours of this 

 kind and could publish the fact would be a blessing to 

 owners and earn a fortune for himself. No doubt any man 

 can shoe a horse — somehow — after a little practice, but it 

 requires a clever, brainy, conscientious man to be an artist, 

 and to possess a knowledge of a horse's hoof Far too 

 common, however, is the smith who earns his night's repose 

 by something accomplished, something done, that will leave 

 its effects upon a horse for many a long day to come, even 

 if it has not ruined him altogether. (See Shoes.) 



Shoes. — Regarding the pattern of the shoes for horses 

 a very great deal must depend upon the state of the hoofs 



Ordinary Shoe. 



Shoe for Cutting (the dotted lines 

 show the outhne of the hoof). 



and the sort of work which the animals are called upon to 

 perform. A heavy shoe has the effect of making its wearer 



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