74 DRIVING AS I FOUND IT. 



which the whole frame of the animal turns and from 

 which it is propelled. This part, therefore, should be 

 strengthened as much as possible, and the hinder shoes 

 are consequently made broader at the toe than the fore 

 shoes. Another good effect that is produced by this is 

 that the hinder foot being shortened there is less danger 

 of over reaching or forging, especially if the shoe is 

 wider on the foot surface than on the ground. The shoe 

 is thus made to slope inward, and is a little within the 

 toe of the crust. 



In assisting horses in drawing heavy- weights up-hill 

 a very great deal may be done in a way that is very) often 

 overlooked, viz., by a proper hind shoe. Horses used for 

 harness work should have calkins on their hind shoe be- 

 cause the animal w ill be thus enabled to dig his toe more 

 firmly into the ground and push himself forward, thus 

 throwing his weight into the collar with greater ad- 

 vantage. The calkins however must not be too high, 

 and they must be of an equal height on each heel other- 

 wise the weight Tvill not be fairly distributed over the 

 foot, consequently some part of the foot or leg will 

 naturally suffer.. 



I doubt not that many of my readers when riding on a 

 coach going up-hill have observed the leaders, who ought 

 to be called upon pretty freely at such times, and no- 

 ticed the twisting of their hocks and indeed the whole 



