SHOEING COMPETITIONS. 



125 



equal. The three operations— preparing the foot, making 

 ■the shoe, fitting and nailing on — are about equal ia 

 value. A maximum of five points in each is too small a 

 number to make distinctive marking easy, but there is 

 .nothing gained by adopting a higher maximum than ten. 

 A marking sheet for the judges of a shoeing competition, 

 may be something in this form : 



CLASS 



No. of 

 Competitor. 



Preparation 

 of loot. 



Making 

 shoe. 



Fitting and 

 nailing on. 



Total. 



Remarks. 



The stewards should see that each competitor has a 

 number, and that the same number is attached to the" 

 side of the horse on which he works. The steward also 

 should take the time at which each batch of competitors 

 commences work and see that none exceed it. 



Excessive rasping of shoes should be prohibited, and 

 the men should see the sizes and kinds of nails provided, 

 so that they may make their "fuller" and nail-holes 

 accordingly. 



Shoeing competitions are almost entirely confined to 

 country districts. It is a great pity that they are not 

 attempted in large towns. The only difficulty is th© 

 expense. It would well repay large horse-owners to 

 subscribe and support this method of improving the art. 



In conclusion, I must say that the best of all ways to 

 improve the art is by giving practical instruction at th© 

 anvil. A few lessons from a competent, practical teacher- 

 are worth more than all books or lectures, as the work", 

 has then to be done, errors are j)ointed out and corrected, 

 ,and reasons given for each step as it is attempted. 



The Berkshire County Council has adopted a travel- 



