SPECIAL AND GENERAL SHOEING. 117 



of the foot while in action, we must, for the most part, ascribe 

 that better condition observable in the feet of running horses. 



To preserve them in this way, despite their hard manner 

 of going, it necessarily requires judicious care and the barring 

 out of most of the objectionable features to be found in shoe- 

 ing. When properly applied according to their natural require- 

 ments, the training shoes of running horses are quite light, placed 

 on with only a few small nails, not to unnecessarily crowd, split, 

 or weaken the wall ; then, before racing these training shoes 

 are removed, the feet accurately leveled and balanced like the 

 form in Fig. 23, and racing plates substituted. The latter are 

 a light, narrow rim, about ^ in. thick x f in. wide, weighing, 

 say, 1| to 2J ounces, though this must be proportioned to suit 

 the conditions of going, gait, balance, etc. These plates should 

 be well concaved on the ground surface, with a line edge all 

 round, to catch the first impulse of the spring at the toe without 

 slipping, and be adjusted to the precise line of the hoof, just 

 covering the wall-bearing to insure perfect action without com- 

 pressing or touching any other part. The nails should have 

 thin, narrow blades and sharp points and be driven around the 

 sides and heels even to the extreme ends of the branches of the 

 shoe, as shown in Fig. 30 ; to point out through the thick lower 

 margin of the wall, and thus secure a solid, permanent hold, as 

 shown in Fig. 29. 



In this way, the task (worthy of the most intelligent farrier) 

 to combine the rio;ht and useful utilities of the work will be in- 

 sured, to the desirable end that " violence during locomotion," 

 which constitutes th6 serious and irreparable accident termed 

 " breaking down," will, at least, be restrained in so far as shoe- 

 ing can effect it. 



The Trotting Horse. — The trotting horse must be consid- 

 ered in the light of a pattern road horse — generally useful in 

 form, gait and docility, to meet any demand — combining the 



