ON PLATING RACE-IIORSRS. 341 



point, that in driving it ho may not break the upper 

 part of the hool more than can be avoided. 



The nails being driven, the smith gives a smart blow 

 or two with his hammer on_ the head of each nail, so 

 as to drive it home and bring the head upon a level 

 with the surface of the plates ; he then nips off the 

 points with his pincers, and knocks down the clinches. 

 But a smith who may not have been accustomed to 

 plate horses is very likely (unless he is cautioned by 

 the groom) to do in this case as he would in putting 

 on shoes in the common way, which is, before he 

 knocks down the clinches, to make a nick with the 

 edge of his rasp under each clinch, so as to let the 

 clinches into the hoof. This should never be done in 

 plating horses, as it only tends to weaken those parts 

 in the hoof, and more particularly if the crust or wall 

 of the foot should be thin. There is another error into 

 which a smith may fall who is unaccustomed to plate 

 horses, if he is not cautioned. The error to which I 

 allude, is that of his improperly using his rasp in what 

 he calls finishing off the foot, by rasping over almost 

 the whole surface, and thereby weakening the crust. 

 This is not the only disadvantage likely to result fi'om 

 this method, for as the clinches of the nails used for 

 putting on plates are small, the most trifling rub with 

 a rasp may cut through them, or perhaps so much 

 weaken them as to render the plates insecure. If there 

 is any occasion to use the rasp after the plate is put 

 on, it can be only to rub down the head of a common 



