PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS ON HORSESHOEING. 12^ 



not be admitted, then it is requisite to make either 

 the sole or the shoe concave. The bars or frog 

 should never be removed, but ragged parts of the 

 latter maybe cut away. Where the heels are higher 

 than the frogs, lower the heel by the rasp, for in every 

 case we are to endeavor to bring the frog in contact 

 with the ground. The reason why the bars should 

 never be destroyed is that they are like the braces to 

 a building. They run angleways to a horse's frog, 

 and act as a wedge. The moment you take them 

 away the heels are bound to contract, because the 

 braces are gone. The sole of the horse's foot should 

 be cut, only enough so that the shoe will not press 

 on the sole. 



The next point we will mention is the taste many 

 blacksmiths have for finishing a job with the rasp, so 

 as to make the foot look smooth and handsome, with- 

 out a thought for the injury they do to the horse. 

 Under no consideration allow any blacksmith to rasp 

 the foot on the outside above the nail-heads. Why? 

 Take a penknife and scrape your finger-nails for a 

 while every day, and then notice the result. Soon 

 they will grow rough, thick, and then lose all shape. 

 It is the same way with a horse's hoof. Although a 

 nicely sand-papered hoof may look very pretty for the 

 first day or two, still it is a thousand times better to 

 be satisfied with nature and not try to improve on 

 her. Never let any blacksmith take a file and file 

 under the clinches. For the reason that the wall 

 of the horse's feet is very thin, and in filing this 

 crust under the clinches you weaken the foot and 

 stop the growth of the horn. When the blacksmith 

 takes tongs and pulls off the shoe, four or five differ- 

 ent chunks will break away and come off with the old 

 horseshoe. The lower part of the hoof has become 



