THE PRACTICAL HORSESHOER. 69 



Of course in practical use the lower knot is to be drawn up 

 tight. The proportions in this illustration have been ex- 

 aggerated a little so as to make the loops and knots clearer 

 to the reader. — Ed.] 



How to Shoe Kicking Horses and Mules. 



I have shod many kicking horses in the following wa^^ : 

 The horse must have a switch tail — the longer the better — 

 to carr}^ out my plan. I place a stick about a foot long in 

 the tail, close to the end of the dock, at B in the illustra- 

 tion. Fig. -16, double back the hair upon it, and confine it 



Fig. 46.—" A. C.'s " Method of Shoeing Kicking Horses. 



with a piece of twine. Then take a long rope and tie it to 

 the stick in the tail, winding it round and round till it is 

 firm. Then buckle a strap with a ring in it round the 

 ankle, just under the fetlock at A. Let your assistant pass 

 the end of the rope through the ring, and, after going to a 

 respectable distance, pull up the foot as is shown in the 

 sketch. The horse cannot hurt himself. If he throws him- 

 self, slacken up the rope till he gets up, and immediately 

 draw^ his foot up again. He cannot hurt the sheer or lie on 

 him. Some one may say, How will you get the rope on the 



