136 THE PRACTICAL HORSESHOER. 



Be sure that you never cut the braces lower than the outer 

 horn, and always make the seat of a corn lower than either. 



If the heel is contracted, and you have left the braces 

 full, then make the shoe somewhat convex at the heel 

 and let it curve directly under the heel of the foot 

 — not outside, for that has a tendency to push the 

 heel in. Leave it so that when it is nailed on, the 

 hoof and shoe do not meet at the heel. There must be a 

 space of one-eighth to three-sixteenths of an inch left 

 there. Be careful not to burn the hoof, for that is very 

 injurious, and be sure to make the shoe fit the horn of 

 tlie hoof nicely. The outside hard part I call horn is what 

 nature intended the horse to travel on, with perhaps some 

 assistance from the frog\ The shoe should bear evenly, 

 and the nails used should not be too large. 



The cure for interfering- is to make the inside of the shoe 

 the highest. For extreme cases^ behind, I make the in- 

 side of my shoe nearly straight and very short ; the toe calh 

 is about one-third the distance around the shoe from the 

 inside heel, the outside of the shoe follows the horn well 

 round, and the toe calk is very short. Where there is only 

 a slight tendency to interfere, it will only be necessary to 

 keep the toe a little around toward the inside, and perhaps 

 a little the highest on the inside ; it is not a good plan to 

 turn the inside heel in too much, for horses do not strike 

 with it. Shoe in the same way for fore feet except in 

 making the inside web much heavier than the outside. I 

 see most shoers take particular pains to make the outside 

 of the hoof look very smooth and nice regardless of the 

 harm so done. They rasp off nature's covering Avell up to 

 the hair, which is a great injurj^ to the hoof. 



Some have called the outside the skin of the hoof, which 

 I think is very proper. I advise being very careful not to 

 disturb the outside more than is strictl^^ necessary. 



