RE-SHOEING. 449 



Any mark of the rasp on the crust is the sure sign that the farrier has not 

 taken the trouble to fit the shoe to the foot." Sir F. Fitzwygram, " Horses 

 and Stables" p. 484. 



" The nails should be brought out in the hoof about an inch above the 

 shoe. If brought out higher there will be risk of injury to the sensitive 

 part of the horn. If lower, they will not get sufficient hold. But in feet 

 which have been maltreated, it will be safer to bring the nails out some- 

 what lower. The heel nails may be brought out somewhat lower than the 

 toe and quarter nails." 



" The heads of the nails should be driven down very nearly, but not 

 quite flush with the under surface of the shoe. A very little projection, 

 however, is necessary in order that the pincers may be held firmly against 

 the heads of the nails, whilst the clenches are being turned down, otherwise 

 it is difficult to get a good firm clench." 



" Clenching is the technical term for turning down the end of the nail 

 after it has been driven through the crust. The nail should be broken off 

 as short as possible, and turned down and flattened by the hammer. The 

 rasp should not be applied to the clench." Sir F. Fitzwygram, "Horses 

 and Stables" p. 487. 



" Nothing remains to be done but to bend down or ' clench ' the por- 

 tion of nail so drawn up on the face of the wall. This should be accom- 

 plished by shortening the fragment to a proper length by the rasp, so as to 

 leave just enough to turn over ; the rasp also removes the small barb of horn 

 raised in drawing up the nail, but without making a notch, and then the 

 clench is laid down evenly. No more rasping or cutting should be allowed 

 on any pretext whatever. 



" Very different to this treatment is that practised in nearly every forge, 

 where the front of the hoof is rasped most unmercifully as high as the 

 coronet. Over the whole external face of this part there appears to be 

 spread a fine translucent horn, which looks like a varnish, whose office in 

 all probability is to prevent undue drying of the hoof and consequent 

 brittleness." G. Fleming, " Practical Horseing," p. 82. 



RE-SHOEING. 



" The growth of the foot renders it necessary to refit every shoe at the 

 end of a month. For reasons given above it is undesirable to burden a 



