202 THE PRACTICE OF SHOEING. 



* 



wall. In order to remove the nails singly the shoe must be 

 loosened. One can either use pincers with a wide mouth, 

 passing below and grasping the entire shoe, in which case the 

 pincers are moved like a lever in the direction of the limb of 

 the shoe, or the buffer may be driven from behind between 

 the shoe and the hoof. The former plan is preferable. Once 

 the shoe is loosened the nails can be drawn separately. When 

 the shoe has recently been put on, or when the horse is trouble- 

 some, another method is sometimes employed. Taking the 

 foot on his knee, the doorman cuts the clenches, and, with the 

 pointed end of the buffei", drives down each nail separately, 

 removing it afterwards in the usual way. This plan is also 

 advisable if the feet are very brittle or broken. 



4. Prepakation of the Hoof for Shoeing. 



The continuous growth of the horn and absence of wear 

 render paring of the hoof from time to time necessary. A 

 further reason is the provision of a solid bearing surface for 

 the shoe. Trimming must be so carried out that, firstly, the 

 wall when viewed from in front and from the sides corresponds 

 in direction with the common axis of the bones, and secondly, 

 so that at ordinary paces all parts of the bearing surface of the 

 wall meet the ground at the same moment, in other words, 

 that the hoof is set down fiat. 



Varying with the direction and form of the hoof, quality of 

 horn and character of the work, the foot requires lowering every 

 three or four weeks. If the animal goes for six, eight, or ten 

 weeks, not only does the relation of the hoof to the fetlock 

 become changed, but the gait loses in freedom and certainty, 

 the toe grows too long, an increased strain is thrown on the 

 flexor tendons which favours stumbling, the shoes become re- 

 latively too short and too narrow, and are overgrown by the 

 hoof, while corns may be caused by pressure on the angles of 

 the heels. The hoof increases in width, favouring separation 

 between the wall and sole, and the animal may strike itself. 

 Horses whose hoofs have become too long almost always fall 

 lame when much worked, especially on hard roads. In broad, 

 flat feet, and to a certain extent in oblique feet, these bad 

 results occur more rapidly than in those which are narrow and 



