102 THE HORSE 



shoeing forges it is a deliberate custom to make the 

 shoe too small because in that way a neat looking job 

 can be turned out without much trouble. Every owner 

 of a horse should at least make sure, when the horse 

 returns from the forge, that the shoe is big enough 

 for the foot, especially at the heels; that it supports 

 the wall of the foot at its true outer line — or a little 

 beyond that line, if the foot be contracted. Contracted 

 heels and all the terrible evils that come from them 

 are often caused by bad shoeing, and especially by 

 shoes too small. 



But all the foot-ills from which the unfortunate 

 horse suffers cannot be "blamed on" the blacksmith. 

 The owner's neglect to keep the foot soft is responsible 

 for many of them. And so is his neglect to have the 

 horse shod whenever he needs shoeing. Corns espe- 

 cially, result from leaving the shoes on too long. 



THE SHOEING OF RACE HORSES 



The shoeing of trotters and pacers so as to balance 

 them properly and to correct faults in gait is a fine art 

 which has been highly developed by ingenious and skil- 

 ful men. It is beyond the scope of this book. The 

 best work on the subject that I know of is Shoeing and 

 Balancing the Light Harness Horse, written by James 

 Clark and published by the Horse World of Buffalo. 



