*36 



HORSE— DISEASES AND REMEDIES. 



As you value your horse do not let 

 the blacksmith even scrape the dirt off 

 the frog. It would be better if he could 

 not see it, because, if anything fit to be 

 called a frog, he will beg, argue, and try 

 every means to persuade you to let him 

 cut it. Do not turn your back to him 

 while he has the foot in his lap and knife 

 in his hand, or else off comes a portion 

 of the frog. If the frog is left to itself it 

 will, when Nature gets ready, shed itself; 

 but the difference between shedding and 

 cutting is, that before shedding the under 

 frog is protected by a suitable covering, 

 but when cut it is exposed to the action of 

 the air and water, which causes it to 

 crack, leaving those "rags" which the 

 blacksmiths love so well to cut. Do not 

 •open the heels, as it increases the resist- 

 .ance offered to contraction. 



The summer shoe needs to present a 

 flat surface to the ground. Make it of 

 the same width and thickness from the 

 toe to the heel. Have the seating deep, 

 rso as to prevent the sole pressing upon 

 the shoe as it descends. Have a clip at 

 the toe to prevent the shoe slipping back", 

 but none at the sides, as they not only 

 destroy too much of the hoof, but pre- 

 vent expansion. Have the fullering deep 

 to receive the nail-heads, and have the 

 nail holes straight — neither inclined in- 

 wardly or outwardly. Have only five 

 nails to hold on the shoe — two on the 

 inner, and three on the outside. Place 

 .the two on the inner side about i^ 

 inches from the top; those on the out- 

 :side may be placed further back toward 

 the heel. The reason is, that when the 

 foot strikes the ground it expands to re- 

 lieve the horse of the shock of his weight, 

 and the inner side being thinner than the 

 outside, the expansion is greater. By 

 placing the nails far back we prevent that 

 expansion, thereby cramping the foot, 

 which makes the animal step short and 

 quick, like one with tight boots. If we 

 take an old shoe, we find at the heels that 

 it is worn down, and also that it is smaller 

 and bright, which is not done by the 

 shifting of the shoe, as you only find it 

 at the heels, by the action of the foot 

 while expanding and contracting. Of 

 .course, this action wears upon, but the 

 foot is continually growing. 



On fitting the shoe, do not let it burn 

 the foot, as it makes a strong foot brittle, 



and on a weak one hurting the horse. 

 Be sure it fits close to the foot. Bring 

 in the heels, as they do not, but the nails 

 prevent expansion. Do not get the nails 

 larger than necessary; bring them out 

 low down in the crust, and make the 

 clinchers very broad. Rasp below but 

 not above the clinchers, as the foot above 

 is covered — if healthy — with a varnish 

 which excludes the air and water. 



The hind shoe need not be so broad, 

 but a little higher at the heels. In this 

 put seven nails, as the hind legs propel 

 and the front legs receive the weight. 



The winter shoe needs toe and heel 

 pieces to prevent the horse from slipping. 

 Have the inner cork not quite so sharp as 

 the outer one, so that if he steps upon 

 the other foot it will not cut it. 



The outside of the hoof ought not to 

 be at all touched by the rasp, save at the 

 very edge, as rasping tends to thicken the 

 hoof and make it coarse and clumsy. 

 Shoes should be made just as light as 

 they possibly can be to answer the pur- 

 pose. Ordinarily they are one-third too 

 heavy. A horse's hoof should be care- 

 fully cleaned every day, and oiling the 

 hoof once or twice a week is recom- 

 mended. 



HORSE, Training. — If you wish to 

 control your horse study his character, as 

 horses, like men, differ in their disposi- 

 tion, and each one has to be understood 

 to be controlled. 



i. Learning him to Pace. — Buckle 

 around his hind legs a four or five pound 

 weight (lead is the best); after which 

 ride the animal briskly, at the same 

 time twitching each rein of the bridle al- 

 ternately ; soon he will be thrown into a 

 pace. After training him in this manner 

 several times, detach the weights, and in 

 their stead place two pound weights, and 

 use these several times ; then change for 

 something still lighter ; leather, padding, 

 or even something still lighter, will an- 

 swer the purpose, and these let him wear 

 until he is perfectly trained, and you will 

 have a smooth and easy pacer. 



2. To make him trot. — Use rollers 

 on the front feet. These rollers should 

 be made of wood or horn, made round, 

 about the size of a hickory-nut, with a 

 small hole bored by a gimlet in the cen- 

 tre of each, and about a dozen of them 

 strung on a string or narrow strap. The 



