SHOEING. 537 



defend the internal parts from being bruised, and yet saft'er 

 the external sole to descend. How is this to be ascertained? 

 The strong pressure of the thumb of the smith will be the 

 best guide. The butteris, that most destructive of all instru- 

 ments, being, except on very particular occasions, banished 

 from every respectable forge, the smith sets to work with 

 his drawing-knife, and removes t^ie growth of horn, until 

 the sole will yield, although in the slightest possible degree, 

 to the strong pressure of the thumbs. The proper thickness 

 of horn will then remain. 



*' If the foot has been previously neglected, and the horn is 

 become very hard, the owner must not object if the smith 

 resorts to other means to soften it a little, and takes one of 

 his flat irons, and, having heated it, draws it over the sole, 

 and keeps it a little while in contact with the foot. When 

 the sole is really thick, this rude and apparently barbarous 

 method can do no harm ; but it should never be permitted 

 with the sole that is regularly pared out. The quantity of 

 horn to be removed, in order to leave the proper degree of 

 thickness, will vary with difterent feet. From the strong foot 

 a great deal must be taken ; from the concave foot the horn 

 may be removed, until the sole will yield to a moderate 

 pressure ; from the flat> foot little needs to be pared ; while 

 the pummiced foot should be deprived of nothing but the 

 ragged parts. 



" The paring being nearly completed, the knife and the rasp 

 of the smith must be a little watched, or he will reduce the 

 crust to a level with the sole, and thus endanger the bruis- 

 ing of it by its pressure on the edge of the seating. The 

 crust should be reduced to a perfect level all around, but 

 left a little higher than the sole. 



"The heels will require considerable attention. From the 

 stress which is thrown on the inner heel, and from the 

 weakness of the quarter there, the horn usually wears away 

 considerably faster than it would on the outer one ; and if 

 an equal portion of horn were pared from it, it would be 

 left lower than the outer heel. The smith should, therefore, 



