138 HORSE-SHOEING. 



APPLYING THE SHOE. 



The foot having been duly prepared, and the form of shoe de- 

 cided upon, the next step is to apply the shoe to the hoof, and 

 retain it there by nails. 



In ordinary practice the wail of the foot has been only partially 

 diminished, the remainder of the task being left until the shoe 

 has to be fitted. This causes the farrier to have a very imperfect 

 idea of the proper shape or size of the hoof, and he therefore 

 prepares a shoe which he guesses is about the size, though in 

 nearly every case it is too small ; and, moulding it according to 

 his fancy, he proceeds to adjust the foot to it. This is done by 

 cutting more or less deeply into the wall at the toe, to make the 

 shoe appear long enough by embedding the clip deeply in its 

 substance, or " letting it back," as it is termed. The consequence 

 is, that when the shoe has been nailed on, the basis of support 

 of the limb is abnormally diminished, a large portion of the wall 

 of the hoof— its strongest portion— projects beyond the shoe in 

 front and at the sides, and this is afterward carefully removed by 

 the rasp, to the great injury to the most essential portion of the 

 hoof. In every respect, the foot is made to fit the shape of the 

 shoe, and as this is generally prepared with a view only to neat- 

 ness or the traditions of routine, the organ suffers, to please the 

 fancy or fashion of the unreasoning artisan. 



By our method, the horn having been reduced to proper 

 dimensions, the shoe is now made to exactly fit the hoof, 

 and to follow the outline of its lower face. The part of the 

 hoof intended to be protected by the iron rim has been made 

 as level as possible by the rasp, aided a very little, perhaps, 

 by the knife ; the surface of the shoe destined to rest on this 

 horny bed has also been made perfectly level and smooth, particu- 

 larly at the clip or clips, and it is to be correctly fitted. The 



