cut or hit their hocks are liable to bump a 

 knee any time. This is what we call the "big- 

 gaited" horse. Shoe him with a plain, flat 

 shoe, knocked down very thin on the outside — 

 beveled — and fit the outside very close. In 

 preparing the foot lower it on the outside. 

 Do not use any heavier shoe than is abso- 

 lutely necessary and don't use a toe-weight 

 at all. If you have to use weight put it in 

 the shoe. Behind, shoe him as light as pos- 

 sible with a swedged shoe, squared at the toe 

 and with small heel calks. If, in your judg- 

 ment, he is not quite rapid enough in front, 

 use a center-rim shoe, or an inverted-rim shoe, 

 which is practically the same thing and much 

 easier to make, being made by turning a piece 

 of rim steel wrong side out. Make it into a 

 bar-shoe, and rivet on a leather pad. The 

 principal reason I recommend a pad in this 

 instance is to prevent him from picking up too 

 much dirt, for if his foot happens to be of the 

 "cup" variety he is liable to pick it up in large 

 quantities and throw it up against his body 

 with such force that it will irritate him, caus- 

 ino- him to break ; also if the driver is in a low 

 sulky or cart he is destined to get the benefit 

 of the back-fire from the front feet. That is 

 the reason I have always advocated the use 

 of a leather pad with this inverted rim shoe. 

 It is really a good, practical, common-sense 

 shoe for a horse that scalps or hit his shins ; 

 it oives him a firm hold of the track; he can 

 break over quickly and easily, and its edges 

 are very thin. A very important item : In 

 makiuQ- it, make the bar flat bv knockin"' down 



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