90 



HORSE AND MAN. 



without the use of nails. Clips are no new inven- 

 tion, and indeed were used for fastening the shoe to 

 the hoof long before any one dreamed of hammer- 

 ing nails into the horn. In fact, the original iron 

 shoe was simply a thin flat ring of iron with three 

 clips, one coming over the toe, and the other two 

 over the quarters. 



If, then, the simple clip were used, no direct 

 harm would be done to the hoof. But the farrier 



SHOE WJ1H CLIPS. 



HOOF SCOOPED FOR CLIPS, AND 

 CLIPPED SHOE ON HOOF. 



likes to see a ' clean ' hoof, and thinks that the look 

 of it would be injured because the clips would 

 slightly project, so he scoops a semicircular groove 

 for the reception of the clip. 



These shoes which are furnished with clips 

 always have one in front, so that scooping the 

 groove entirely destroys the original contour of the 

 hoof. Moreover, the hoof is weakened exactly where 

 it wants most strength, and what with lowering the 

 wall until it is perilously near the linea alba, scorch- 

 ing it brittle with red-hot iron, and then scooping 



