26 THE PRACTICAL HORSESHOER. 



at the heels a httle back and the toe calk a little forward. 

 Where the horse is kept on shoes all the time I use a toe clip; 

 but where he runs barefoot all the summer I consider a toe 

 clip a positive injur,y, as the hoof is ver^' liable to crack where 

 clip sets in when the horse is turned barefoot in the summer 

 on our hard roads. 



I use a nail as small as I dare, because it is less liable to 

 tear the hoof. I drive the nails Avell up into the hoof, which 

 I am able to do because the shoe is fully as large as the foot. 

 I clinch or draw them down very tig'htly, and, if the foot is 

 perfectly level, tig^ht drawing- will not do any harm. I cut 

 the clinches quite short and rasp them to an edg-e, but do 

 not cut into the nail with the corner of the rasp or cut a fur- 

 row into the hoof. 



In clinching down I pound down the clinch with my ham- 

 mer, being- careful to strike equally down toward the head 

 of the nail, as if I were riveting- it ; and if an^^ of the nail 

 sticks out I rasp it ofl", but never try to drive it into the hoof 

 as a wroug-ht nail is driven into a pine board, as that wall 

 alwa^^s loosen the shoe. I do as little rasping- as possible, 

 believing- it to be an injury to the hoof. 



I alwa^^s beg-iu to nail at the toe and nail backward, as 

 this will expand the hoof; and if the horse is hoof-bound, 

 b3^ careful driving- of the nails the hoof can be spread all the 

 horse needs or can stand. In this way I have cured several 

 cases of hoof-bound. It is much better than spreading- the 

 shoe after nailing- on. 



In shoeing- livery or bug-g}^ horses I use as light a shoe as 

 I can get. I make the calks, if any are required, ver3^ small 

 and short, and I file the shoe bright and smooth, and then file 

 the corner off the upper side, so that when it is on there is a 

 bright strip around the shoe next the foot about the size of 

 a No. 12 wire. This is a great improvement in the looks of 

 the foot. I generally fit a shoe hot, unless the owner objects, 

 as he sometimes does, but I onlj^ touch the foot wath the 



