S6 



THE ART OF HORSE-SHOEING. 



wMcli recxuires no screw. The shank may be either 

 round or square. A hole is iDunched in the heel of the 

 shoe and carefully gauged to the size of the shank of the 

 *' sharp." The sharp is then put in and a tap of the 



Fig. 73.— Steel Sharps and Blank, Plug shanks. 



iiammer secures it. The difficulty is to get the hole in 

 the shoe and the shank of the sharp of corresponding 

 form and size. When this is done, the sharp keeps its 

 place and is not difficult to remove. Too often, however, 

 they are not uniform, and then the sharp falls out or 

 sometimes cannot be removed. When the holes are 

 drilled instead of punched, the fit is more exact, but this 

 only applies to those with a round shank. A slight taper 

 is given both to the hole and the shank of the " sharp." 

 As with the screw sharps, so with these, blanks are used 

 to keep the holes open until the road-surface requires the 

 sharp. 



Fig. 73.— Steel Traps for screwing shoes. 



No sharps should be left in shoes when the horses; 

 are stabled at night, as serious injuries to the coronet 

 may result from a tread by the opposite foot. The 

 coachman or horse-keeper must be supplied with a- 



