FULLERING-A NEW METHOD. 18| 



Practical Precepts. 



rhe Shoe. In quantity or size, the common defence of the full-grown 

 norse's foot is made nearly half an inch thick at the toe, but near the heel cne 

 fourth lebs; here, also, it must be made narrower by the half than at the toe, 

 where it is an inch wide, and so continues round to the quarters, lessening 

 away towards the heel, where it is but half an inch wide. Very near the 

 outer edge a groove is made, not too deep, but sloping from the side next the 

 rim, in order to throw the heads of the nails slanting, when the final hammer- 

 ing down takes place. A practice prevails of making this groove, called ful 

 lering, much too close to the edge ; and to so great an extent does this mista • 

 ken notion prevail, that he who could so make it nearest to the edge without 

 cracking the rim was long considered the best workman. This, however, is 

 not the most approved method of our times; for the nail-holes that are to be 

 })unctured in this groove are thus brought too near the edge of the horn, so 

 that the nails do not hold fast, unless driven and clenched high up on the 

 hoof, which also is an exploded part of practice. Neither should the fullering 

 l)e continued round the toe, nor to the quarters, lest you weaken the defence 

 where its protection is most required. 



Iron is the only material proper, and the toughest is the best defence, as it 

 affords a small degree of elasticity in action, is least likely to crack, and is ca- 

 pable of being hardened at the wearing points at will. The toe alone is usu- 

 ally hardened at the time of making, unless in winter, when it may be found 

 necessary to turn down the heels, termed frosting, when these may also be 

 hardened, or steeled. 



Some persons frost all their shoes in winter, by fullering them all over the 

 ground surface ; but this rough soon wears away, or is of little service from 

 the first. On turning the heel down, a cripphng gait is produced if the rough 

 be long, especially with heavy horses, having low hoofs, which may be coun- 

 teracted, so long as the roughing lasts, by turning down the toe also, and steel- 

 ing both. But then the necessity of frequently removing the shoe, and thus 

 impairing the wall or crust, may be remedied by making screw-holes in the 

 ground surface of the heels, and providing a suitable supply of screws with 

 steel heads, that may be applied and screwed on fresh every day if need be. 

 Sizes of course would vary according to that of the horse and shoe. 



Shape. For sound feet, both surfaces of the English shoe are made per- 

 fectly flat, the inner rim being thinner than the outer. The shoe extends all 

 round the edge of the wall or crust, which it is desirable to defend, and termi- 

 nates where the bar and crust join at the heel, A curve upwards, at the toe, 

 to prevent tripping, though sanctioned by authority, and carried to an extreme 

 by Goodwin, and others, is seldom desirable, even with heavy horses, or those 

 which go close to the ground, and is well met by a modification of the Ger- 

 man and French method, of forming the shoe wider than ours, and conse- 

 quently less pointed at the toe. The toe being then rasped close to the shoe, 

 no tripping takes place on that account. 



The French form, or shape, differs from our English shoe, in being made 

 mder and approaching nearer to a semicircle, and instead of being flat next 

 to the hoof, is hammered hollow, which renders the ground surface convex; 

 1 mode of proceeding that suits admirably with their coarse footed horses, and 

 comparatively harmless roads fmeaning neir petit chemin, and the sides of 

 their grand chemins], but is inadmissible in England, excepting perhaps with 

 our agriculturist owners of the like ordinary cattle. They also make theii 

 shoes as thick at the heel as at the toe, which is a transgression against the 

 general precept, at page 180, that 1 can not reconcile with propriety : what ia 

 more again<;t the French, they take little heed of hardening either toe orheel 



