84 DISEASES OF THE FEET, ETC. 



then go and see the smith personally, and tell him that 

 they do not want their horses' feet tied up with heavy 

 shoes, but to use light, plain ones, and at the same time 

 insist upon it that he shall touch with his knife neither 

 frog, sole, or bar, but with his buttress alone let him 

 level off the outer crust to obtain a level bearing, then 

 put on shoe, with care not to prick or injure the foot 

 in any way, nature will take care of the rest, in the 

 shedding of frog and its surroundings. Your smith will be 

 glad to do as you tell him if he has any sense, and if he 

 has none the sooner you get one that has the better for 

 your horse's sake; he will gladly do it, inasmuch as he gets 

 the same pay for half the amount of 

 iron, thereby making so much more 

 profit. A very good plan is to have 

 your horses' feet stuffed, with the most 

 cooling thing you can get, the first 

 night after being newly shod; if no- 

 thing better to be had, use wet clay. 

 Grooms often grease the outer horn, 

 as they think, to soften it. This is 

 another vile practice, arising from 

 ignorance alone ; through that horn 

 insensible perspiration exudes ; to grease it is to stop the 

 pores and prevent nature from acting ; in consequence a 

 dead hardening of the horn instead of softening it. 

 Standing in mud, if necessary, is a good softener (thin 

 mud), or frequent stuffing with cow-droppings is the best 

 of all. With the necessary orders to your smith and at- 

 tention in the stable, you can reasonably expect your 

 horses' feet to be always in order. If any of my readers 

 are curious on the subject, and desire to know more of the 

 modus operandi of shoeing, let them get Fleming's work 

 on the subject, probably the very best ever published, 



