78 THE HOESE OWNEE'S 



Tip shoe, and cut a notch for the clip. You had hetter 

 next, till you have gained experience in fitting a shoe, 

 " spring " the heels, to prevent them burning the back 

 part of the crust while you are fitting tlie shoe to the fore 

 part ; but you must bring them down again before you 

 fit the quarters and heels, and never leave them " sprung " 

 when the shoe is nailed on. You must now put the toe 

 of the shoe in the fire, and make it hot enough to mark 

 the uneven portions of horn, which should be lightly re- 

 moved by the rasp till an even bed is left for the shoe to 

 rest upon. You need not fear to burn the toe of a strong 

 foot, it can do no harm ; but a weak foot with a thin crust, 

 of course, will not bear much burning ; ' still the shoe 

 should be made hot enough to scorch the horn, and show 

 where the hoof fails to bear upon it. When the toe is 

 once properly fitted, there will be very little trouble in 

 fitting the quarters and heels. You have only to bring 

 them in over the back of the anvil, till the edge of the 

 shoe ranges with the edge of the hoof back to the farthest 

 point of the heel on each side, and continue the same 

 sweep until it nearly touches the frog. There must be 

 none of the shoe left sticking out beyond the hoof, either 

 behind or at the side of the heels. 



The part of the foot that needs protection from injury, 

 more than any other, is the "maricular joint," which rests 

 upon the frog about an inch or an inch and a quarter 

 behind its point; and the only way to protect it is to keep 

 the web of the shoe as wide at the heels as it is at the 

 toe, and to bring in the heels till they nearly touch the 

 frog; by so doing you lessen the opening of the shoe, and 

 the web of one side or the other will strike upon the stones 

 in the road, and save the frog from coming full force upon 



