156 HORSE-SHOEING. 



dication as to the amount of horn to be removed from the toe or 

 heels. 



In the operation of levelling and shortening the hoof, is included 

 the general reduction of the wall. 



Provided the hoof, before it comes into the hands of the farrier, 

 has the proper inclination and is equal on both sides of its ground 

 face, but is nevertheless overgrown, the artisan has then only to 

 remove the excess of growth without disturbing the relations between 

 the several regions of the wall. Or should the hoof be overgrown, 

 too oblique, too upright, or unequal at the sides, then in remedying 

 the one defect he at the same time remedies all. The amount of 

 horn to be removed from the margin of the hoof will depend upon 

 circumstances. It may be laid clown as a rule, however, that there 

 being but little horn to remove at the heels, these should only be 

 rasped sufficiently to insure the removal of all loose material in- 



Fig. 11. 



capable of supporting the shoe; the quarters or sides of the hoof 

 may require a freer application of the rasp, but as the toe is reached, 

 a larger quantity must be removed, as in Fig. 11, a >£. The limit 

 to this removal at the front of the hoof must be when the wall is 

 almost or quite reduced to a level with the strong unpared sole. 

 It must ever be borne in mind that, if the wall does not stand beyond 

 the level of the sole, it does not require reducing. 



