ILLUSTRATED GUIDE. 87 



a variety of ways both before and behind, that it is im- 

 possible to form a shoe that would suit every case of 

 ** cutting"." I therefore advise you, whether the horse cuts 

 before or behind, to fasten something like a boot, covered 

 thickly with melted pipe-clay or chalk, over the place 

 where he strikes the leg, and then trot him along the road. 

 He will soon pick off some of the pipe-clay with the 

 opposite foot, and show you the exact part of the shoe he 

 strikes with, which you can easily alter in the new shoe ; 

 and you will often be surprised to see how small a matter 

 causes the mischief. 



REMOVING. 



The time at which horses' shoes should be removed 

 must depend very much upon circumstances. If a horse 

 wears his shoe out in less than a month, they had better 

 not be removed ; and horses with thin, weak horns which 

 grow slowly are likewise better left alone between each 

 shoeing unless their shoes last sexen or eight weeks ; in 

 which case they should be removed once within the time. 

 But horses with strong feet and plenty of horn, that wear 

 their shoes four or five weeks, should have them removed 

 at the end of a fortnight ; and when horses are doing so 

 little work, or wear their shoes so lightly that they last 

 over two months, they should be removed every two or 

 three weeks, and at the second removal the shoe should 

 be put into the fire and refitted, or the feet will outgrow 

 the shoes, as the horn grows much quicker when a horse 

 is idle than it does when he is in full work. 



THE BAR SHOE. 



As shown in the accompanying figure, consists of a 

 complete ring of iron, similar to the ordinary shoe as far 



