94 PEOTECTION OF TOEE TOOT. 



having excellent fore feet, could not travel with safety 

 unless the shoes were so prepared. The way in which the 

 farrier is to proceed with the shoe is as follows. It is first to 

 be fitted uniformly to the crust ; it is then to he placed upon 

 the anvil with the foot surface downwards, and gently struck 

 across the middle, just to give the necessary bend to the iron. 

 The slight inflexion thus given does not in the least alter the 

 even bearing of the crust, it simply allows of greater freedom 

 of motion to the foot. 



Degeee oe Covee Necessaet to the Eoee Eeet. — The 

 extent of cover, or protection which the fore feet may require 

 from the shoes, will depend upon the size of the animal, as well 

 as upon the size and peculiarities of the feet. Large sized 

 horses, and those having large feet, will naturally require a 

 heavier shoe, and one possessing greater breadth upon its 

 ground surface, than small horses having proportionately sm^all 

 feet. Thin flat soled feet require more cover of shoe than 

 those having concave, strong, well formed soles. The former 

 are more liable to suffer from irregularities of the road, so that 

 a greater breadth of shoe is necessary to afford protection to the 

 sole. This is a question, however, so easy at all times to 

 determine, that it is unnecessary to dwell further upon it. 



Fit oe the Shoe. — The shoe ought to fit the foot. This 

 is so obvious, that it may almost be considered a self evident 

 truism ; but however true abstractedly, it is very far from being 

 trite in practice. Thousands of feet are made fit the shoes, 

 rather than the shoes made to fit the feet, and thousands 

 of horses are lame in consequence. A careful attention, 

 however, to the previous remarks with respect to the paring 

 and rasping of feet, will fully enable the reader to judge as to 

 whether a farrier, when shoeing a horse, is fitting the shoe to 

 the feet, or the feet to the shoes. 



