134 CAKE AND TRAINING OF TROTTERS AND PACERS. 



angle, or both, will increase extension and decrease 

 elevation or action, while a greater angle or a 

 short toe, or both, will decrease extension and in- 

 crease elevation or action, other things being equal. 

 In most cases of forging the hind action has the 

 usual fault of low elevation with extreme forward 

 extension. It has always been my opinion that 

 the hind action of both trotter and pacer has been 

 much neglected as far as shoeing is concerned. 

 All sorts of devices are contrived to stop the hind 

 extension without directing it into greater eleva- 

 tion and backward extension. Most horses should 

 have more backward extension because it is this 

 that causes propulsion in an eminent degree. 

 Merely checking the forward extension by higher 

 heels, calks, etc., does not convert it into back- 

 ward action; but a shoe that will lift the foot 

 higher, such as more weight, square i toes, \ocker 

 motion shape with sharp rim at toe, and hee'. calks 

 with rather short heels, and other devices such as 

 our skillful farriers can be depended on, will tend 

 to divert this forward extension into higher action, 

 and gradually also into backward extension, with- 

 out imposing any absolute checks to the hind 

 motion that do so much toward causing skipping 

 and running behind. In these few words of ad- 

 vice lies also the remedy for forging and scalping. 

 (6) Elbow Hitting. 

 Every once in a while an elbow hitter is being 

 gradually developed from a trotter with good and 



