188 SHOEING. 



as has been already shown. As the shape of the foot is in no 

 degree changed by the form of shoe, that form should mani- 

 festly be adopted which produces the greatest number of ad- 

 vantages with the fewest disadvantages. 



A small clip at the point of the toe is very desirable, as 

 preventing displacement of the shoe backwards ; it need not 

 be driven up hard, as it is simply required as a check or stay. 

 The shoe should be sufBciently long to fully support the angles 

 at the heels, and not so short, as is too often the case, that a 

 little wear imbeds the edge of it in the horn at these parts. 

 The foot surface of the shoe should always have a good flat 

 even space left all around for the crust to bear upon ; for it 

 must be remembered, that the crust sustains the whole weight 

 of the horse, and should therefore have a perfectly even bean 

 ing everywhere around the shoe. In this space the nail-holes 

 should be punched ; and not, as is too generally the case, 

 partly in it, and partly in the seating. In what is technically 

 called "back-holing the shoe," which means completing the 

 openings of nail-holes on the foot surface, great care should be 

 taken to give them an outward direction, so as to allow the 

 points of the nails to be brought out low down in the crust. 

 The remainder of the foot surface should be carefully seated 

 out particularly around the elevated toe, where it might other- 

 wise press inconveniently upon the sole, and the seating should 

 be carried on fairly to the point where the crust and bars 

 meet, in order that there may be no pressure in the seat of 

 corns ; the chance of pressure in this situation will be still fur- 

 ther diminished by beveling off the inner edge of the heels with 

 a rasp. 



The ground surface should be perfectly flat, with a groove 



