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fashion at the present time, and blacksmiths' shops, 

 generally speaking", are within fairly easy reach of most 

 people. But it is not so much a matter of distance, or 

 inconvenience, that horses are not sufficiently cared 

 for in this matter, as it is of carelessness on the part of 

 their owners. It is difficult to determine which is 

 really the best system of sharpening. A great deal 

 depends on the class of horses and the nature of their 

 work. Screw^s, fitted in the heels of the shoes, which 

 can be inserted and removed at will, are very conveni- 

 ent and serve the ^purpose fairly well for saddle and 

 harness horses, but for ordinary draught horses they 

 are not very serviceable, as they have a tendency when 

 horses are pulling hard to become displaced, when 

 they fall out, and, of course, in many instances get 

 lost. The cross-bar insertion slot in the toe of the shoe 

 is also very liable to get dislodged and lost, but it is a 

 clever, ingenious invention, and with increased im- 

 provements it might answer the purpose very well 

 with certain classes of horses doing certain kinds of 

 work. 



For all-round purposes the ordinary method of 

 sharpening the heels and the toes of the shoes for 

 .draught horses appears to be the best and the most 

 efficacious system in vogue ; whilst for lighter classes 

 of horses, steel "frost nails" are quite sufficient in the 

 toes of the shoes. 



It is a mistake to make the heels of the shoes too 

 high, as they are dangerous for horses trampling them- 

 selves in the stalls, and when turning abruptly. 



