108 THE FAMILY HORSE. 



never be used upon the external walls of the hoof, except in cases^of 

 absolute necessity to prevent striking the opposite limb. 



In the prairie regions and the great plateaus beyond the Missis- 

 sippi shoes are dispensed with to a considera- 

 ble extent. In all rural districts where the soil 

 is sandy and free from gravel, there is less 

 need of shoes, at least on horses employed 

 in farm work, than is generally conceded. 

 In many situations, however, the hoof, if 

 wholly unprotected, would wear away faster 

 than the growth would make up, yet a full 

 shoe is unnecessary. A tip or segment just 

 Fig. 66.— TIP. large enough to protect the toe, shown in 



figure 66, is sufficient. This leaves the frog and all the posterior 

 portion of the foot in their normal condition. 



Clear and simple as are the principles upon which horse-shoeing 

 is founded, there seems to be much misapprehension regarding 

 them. Patents have been obtained upon great massive shoes, with 

 taps into which calkins are to be screwed as one set after another 

 wears out, the idea being that the shoe should remain without 

 resetting. Such contrivances show total inattention to the physiology 

 of the horse's foot, and the constant growth of the hoof is left wholly 

 out of consideration. A writer in the 3Iark Lane Express sum- 

 marizes the matter as follows : 



*' Defects in Shoeing. — 1. Fitting the shoe too hot, so as to bum 

 and dry the horn. 2. Applying short shoes so that a deep slit must 

 be cut at the toe to let the shoe back. 3. Hammering a shoe into 

 its place without drawing the nails, after it has shifted when nailing 

 it on. 4. Nails' heads projecting above the shoe. 5. Clinches being 

 unlevel or rasped off. 6. Rasping the front of the hoof. 7. The 

 shoes are usually too heavy. 8. Shoes are allowed to remain on too 

 long. 9. Shoes either too short or too long. 10. Shoes not having 

 a level bearing for foot to stand upon. 13. Shoes bolder on the 

 ground surface outer edge than on the foot surface outer edge. 

 13. Nail holes put too far back. 14. Too large nails being used. 

 15. Drawing the heel nails up first, or all on one side of the foot 

 before any on the other. 16. The calkin or wedge of one heel being 

 higher than the other. 17. A space being left between the shoe and 

 foot at the heel, 'springing' or ' easing the heel' as it is termed. 



^^Good Points in Shoeing. — 1. An even level surface for both 

 bearing surface of foot and shoe, no calkins or wedges being present. 



2. The shoe should be same width, length and shape of the foot. 



3. The wall and bars only of the foot should be leveled with the 



