CLIPS. DIFFEREIS^T KINDS OF SHOES. 4;3;i 



fVom tliis too common metliod of shoeing. It cannot be excused even in 

 tlie hunting shoe. If the horse is ridden far to cover, or galloped over 

 much hard and flinty ground, he will inevitably suffer from this unequal 

 distribution of the weight. If the calkin is put on the outer heel, in order 

 to prevent the horse from slipping, either the horn of that heel should bo 

 lowered to a corresponding degree, or the other heel of the shoe should be 

 raised to the same level by a gradual thickening. Of the use of calkins in 

 the hinder foot we shall presently speak. 



CLIPS. 



These are portions of the upper edge of the shoe, hammered out, and 

 turned up so as to embrace the lower part of the crust, and which is 

 usually pared out a little, in order to receive the clip. They are .very use- 

 ful, as more securely attaching the shoe to the foot, and relieving the crust 

 from that stress upon the nails which would otherwise be injurious. A clip 

 at the toe is almost necessary in every draught horse, and absolutely so 

 in the horse of heavy draught, in order to prevent the shoe from being 

 loosened or torn off by the pressure which is thrown upon the toe in the 

 act of di'awing. A clip on the outside of each shoe, at the beginning of 

 the quarters, will give security to it. Clips are likewise necessary on the 

 shoes of all heavy horses, and of all others who are disposed to stamp, or 

 violently paw with their feet, and thus incur the danger of displacing the 

 shoe ; but they are evils, inasmuch as they press upon the crust as it grows 

 down, and they should only be used when circumstances absolutely require 

 them. In the hunter's shoe they are not required at the sides. One at 

 the toe is sufficient. 



THE HINDER SHOE. 



In forming the hinder shoes it should be remembered that thc-hind limbs 

 are the principal instruments in progression, and that in every act of pro- 

 gression, except the walk, the toe is the point on which the whole frame of 

 the animal turns, and from which it is propelled. This part, then, should 

 be strengthened as much as possible ; and, therefore, the hinder shoes are 

 made thicker at the toe than the fore ones. Another good eff"ect is pro- 

 duced by this, that, the hinder foot being shortened, there is less danger of 

 overreaching or forging, and especially if the shoe is wider on the foot sur- 

 face than on the ground one. The shoe is thus made to slope inward, and 

 is a little within the toe of the crust. 



The shape of the hinder foot is somewhat different from that of the fore 

 foot. It is straighter in the quarters, and the shoe must have the same 

 foi'm. For carriage and draught horses generally, calkins may be put on 

 the heels, because the animal will be thus enabled to dig his toe more 

 firmly into the ground, and urge himself forward, and throw his weight 

 into the collar with greater advantage : but the calkins must not be too 

 high, and they must be of an equal height on each heel, otherwise, as has 

 been stated with regard to the fore feet, the weight will not be fairly dis- 

 tributed over the foot, and some part of the foot or the leg will materially 

 suffer. The nails in the hinder shoe may be placed nearer to the heel 

 than in the fore shoe, because, from the comparatively little weight and 

 concussion throAvn on the hinder feet, there is not so much danger of 

 contraction. 



DIFFERENT KINDS OF SHOES. 



The shoe must vary in substance and weight witli the kind of foot, and 

 the nature of the work. A weak foot should never wear a heavy shoe, nor 

 any foot a shoe that will last longer than a month. Here, perhaps, we 



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