THE COMPLETE FARRIER. 55 



and does not discharge a proper matter. If the proud flesh do not 

 submit to the above, lay on a little blue vitriol, in powder, or touch it 

 with caustic or oil of vitriol ; and should none of these make it give 

 way, lay on a little corrosive sublimate. The salves, tinctures and 

 mixtures already laid down, are sufficient to cure any curable wound. 



HURTS IN THE FEET. 



Horses are oftener hurt in the Feet than any where else, and those 

 hurts are often received from the blacksmith. Every blacksmith 

 should be a farrier, and every farrier a blacksmith, for these busi- 

 nesses should go hand in hand. What is a man fit for who has got 

 the theoretical part without the practical? A man that lias ahead 

 and no tongue will do but little mischief, but one that has a tongue and 

 no head may do much. Few of the fine farriers sent from the hospitals 

 have done any good, but many of them a great deal of hurt. A man 

 without education who has a gift, is better than a man who has edu- 

 cation but no gift ; and a man of sobriety will far excel one without it. 

 A fine tongue often proves a snake in the grass. 



Sometimes a horse is lamed by being shod into the quick. The. 

 foot should always be carefully examined on the first appearance of 

 lameness. Sometimes a nail with a flaw in it will cause a great 

 grievance, as one part will come out and the other will go into the 

 foot. Blacksmiths should never use such nails except in a frost, 

 when they can put them into the old holes. Sometimes they leave 

 stumps, or pieces of nails in the feet ; and sometimes when they drive 

 it nail they turn the point into the foot, and then draw it back and put 

 in another, taking no further thought about it, and when the horse be- 

 comes lame they say he is gravelled. Few blacksmiths will stop at 

 telling a lie to clear themselves. 



When a horse has got lamed in the foot, be careful to cut it well 

 out, and to damage the hoof as little as possible, and dress the place 

 with oil of turpentine, spirits of tar, and common tar. Lay no hot, 

 drying drugs on, unless proud flesh rise. 



Sometimes corns in the heels cause a horse to be lame ; cut them 

 out, and dress the place with aquafortis. There is another fault which 

 blacksmiths are guilty of, and which is a great hurt to a horse, that is, 

 cutting or paring the heel down too much. The heel being best to 

 come at, they clap the paring-knife there and cut them down, when 

 there is no need to take any off them at all. The heels are the great- 

 est support of the horse, and by paring them too thin, both corns and 

 lameness in the back sinews are produced. 



Before a blacksmith begins to shoe a valuable horse, especially a 

 road-horse, he should examine how he stands and how he goes. If be 

 go low, heavy shoes should be used ; but if he go high, light ones. If 

 he turn his toes out, he will cut with the heel, and if he turn them in, 

 will cut with the spurn. If he have a thin, flat foot, he should have 

 broad shoes ; but if a hollow, dished foot, narrow ones. If the crust 

 be thin, and the vein near, small nails should be used. 



Some horses are hoof-bound, that is, have straight heels which pinch 



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