330 THE HORSE 



SHOEING, TO IMPROVE ACTION 



In shoeing horses with a view to improving their 

 action, the shoes for the fore feet are made especially 

 heavy, and the toes are rounded off from the under 

 side with the intention of enabling the horse to lift 

 his feet as quickly and as easily as possible. When 

 a horse thus shod feels the additional weight on his 

 foot, he makes an increased effort to raise it and, not 

 taking into account the greater ease with which the toe 

 leaves the ground, he elevates the knee higher than he has 

 been accustomed to do. Most horses are greatly benefited 

 in height of knee action by heavy shoes with smooth, 

 round toes. This plan works very well with some horses, 

 possibly the majority, but with others it causes them to 

 forge or overreach; because, as the toe begins to leave 

 the ground, the toe of the smooth, rounded shoe slips 

 backward and the horse forges, not as in the case above 

 referred to, where the hind foot strikes the iron of the 

 front foot before the latter can get out of the way, but 

 because the fore foot slips backward and in reality forges 

 with the iron of the hind foot as it is going to its place. 



Hock action in some horses is benefited by similar 

 treatment, and, again, by the very opposite. Some 

 horses, while they are improved in the mere act of 

 raising or lifting the knees, are thrown out of balance 

 by the fore legs moving too fast at the beginning of the 

 stride; in which case they either shorten their gait or 

 "point" or "dwell" with the action of the foot just 

 before it reaches the ground. So much depends upon the 

 perfect balancing of the animal, which may be slightly 



