resting place and relieve the tightened condition at 

 the coronet. Lessen the depth of the foot in front if 

 out of proportion. Now then, take the knife — cut 

 given in this work— and clean out the commissures, 

 that is, run this knife back from the point at the frog 

 designated by ISTo. 1, 1, carry the back of the knife 

 close up against the frog, back along its entire length 

 to, and through, between it and the walls at the 

 heels, cut down perpendicular in this way until the 

 sole under the point of the knife along the line of the 

 frog will give to a pressure from it (the point of the 

 knife). Care must be taken not to cut through at 

 any point, but this stubborn upper growth of horn 

 must be weakened so that it will not possess strength 

 enough to push up into the vital part of the foot and 

 cause discomfort to the animal at every step ; much 

 as it would be to a man walking on the points of the 

 nails of his boot heels that had pushed up through 

 the inner sole and were pressing their points into his 

 foot heel. 



The shoe must be fitted as shown : even with the 

 wall all around the front of the foot from 3 to 3, full, 

 outside of the wall, from 3 to 2 and 3 to 2. Have the 

 shoes, from about at 3, 3, back to point of heels beveled, 

 slightly, on the foot surface, towards the outside (the 

 natural inclination of the smith in hammering the 

 shoes at the anvil, seems to be to get the bevel towards 

 the inside, the author has often noticed this), this 

 will give the foot a chance to expand, slightly, each 

 time the foot strikes the ground and will therefore 

 help to get them into a better habit of growth, as 

 nature can now assert herself and help to open this 

 foot out at the heels. The nails should not be driven 

 back any farther towards the heels than designated 

 in the cut, the heel then can have nothing to bind it 

 and prevent it from opening, as it will, when the 

 weight is placed on it. Nature will do the rest and 

 no artificial spreaders are either necessary or useful. 



41 



