ON SHOEING. 429 



CHAPTER XX. 



ON SHOEING. 



The period when the shoe began to be nailed to the foot of tho horse is 

 uncertain. WiUiam the ITorman introduced it into our country. 



We have seen, in the progress of our inquiry, that, while it affords to 

 the foot of the horse that defence which seems now to be necessary against 

 the destructiTe effects of our artificial and flinty roads, it has entailed on 

 the animal some evils. It has limited or destroyed the beautiful expansi- 

 bihty of the lower part of the foot — it has led to contraction, although 

 that contraction has not always been accompanied by lameness — in the 

 most careful fixing of the best shoe, and in the careless manufacture and 

 setting on of the bad one, irreparable injury has occasionally been done to 

 the horse. 



We will first attend to the preparation of the foot for the shoe, for more 

 than is generally imagined, of its comfort to the horse, and its safety to 

 the rider, depends on this. If the master would occasionally accompany 

 the horse to the forge, more expense to himself and punishment to the 

 horse would be spared, than, perhaps, he would think possible, provided he 

 will take the pains to understand the matter himself, otherwise he had 

 better not interfere. 



The old shoe must be first taken oflF. We have something to observe 

 even here. The shoe was retained on the foot by the ends of the nails 

 beino- twisted off", turned down, and clenched. These clenches should be 

 first raised, which the smith seldom takes the trouble thoroughly to do ; 

 but after looking carelessly round the crust and loosening one or two of 

 the clenches, he takes hold first of one heel of the shoe, and then of the 

 other, and by a violent wrench separates them from the foot ; then, by 

 means of a third wrench, applied to the middle of the shoe, he tears it 

 off. By these means he must enlarge every nail-hole, and weaken the 

 future and steady hold of the shoe, and sometimes tear off" portions of the 

 crust, and othermse injure the foot. The horse generally shows by his 

 flinching that he suifers from the violence with which this prehminary 

 operation too often is performed. The clenches should always be raised 

 ofi"; and, where the foot is tender, or the horse is to be examined for lame- 

 ness, each nail should be partly punched out. According to the common 

 system of procedure, many a stub is left in the crust, the source of future 

 annoyance. 



The shoe having been removed, the smith proceeds to rasp the edges of 

 the crust. Let not the stander-by object to the apparent violence which he 

 uses, or fear that the foot will suffer. It is the only means that he has to 

 detect whether any stubs remain in the nail-holes ; and it is the most con- 

 venient method of removing that portion of the crust into which dirt and 

 gravel have insinuated themselves. 



Next comes the important process of paring out, with regard to which 

 it is almost impossible to lay down any specific rules. This, however, is 

 undoubted, that far more injuiy has been done by the neglect of paring 

 than by carrying it to too great an extent. The act of paring is a work 

 of much more labour than the proprietor of the horse often imagines. The 

 smith, except he is overlooked, will frequently give himself as little trouble 

 about it as he can ; and that portion of horn which, in the imshod foot, 

 would be worn away by contact with the ground, is suffered to accumulate 



