128 THE PRACTICAL HORSESHOER. 



as I have described, the frog will flatten and the foot ex- 

 pand rapidly. 



For draft horses use a very low heel calk, and w^hen 

 the g-round is frozen use the common shoe with clips. 

 Do not employ a rasp to file under clinches, because this 

 cuts across the g-rain of the hoof and injures it. I use a 

 very small gouge, the width of a nail, and take out 

 a little under the nail. This will give a good clinch every 

 time. For light drivir.g horses the nails should be driven 

 hard and well clinched and clipped close with the clinch- 

 cutter, then filed down and smoothed. — By S. C. C. 



Contracted Feet. 



I will give my mode of spreading a contracted foot. The 

 tool I use for the purpose is illustrated in the engraving 

 Fig. 73. It is about 8 inches long, the jaws are ^ or ^ inch 

 thick, and the screw is about 3| inches long. It is put on 

 the foot with the short side hooks (which are about \ inch 



Fig. 73— Tool used for Spreading Contracted Feet. 



long) in the heel. You can spread the heel just as much 

 as it will bear. Fit the shoe considerably wider than the 

 foot was before the heel was spread, level the shoe from 

 the last nail hole out so that it will tend to give outward 

 instead of inward as the weight comes on it. A little 

 practice will teach the smith how much the foot will stand, 



