210 THE PRACTICE OF SHOEING. 



the foot and of the hoof. As each hoof is prepared for the 

 new shoe the latter should be applied and the animal allowed 

 to stand on it, the foot being then examined and compared 

 with its fellow. Only when the position, etc., of the limb 

 appear normal should the shoe be nailed on. The two fore 

 and two hind hoofs should, when in like positions, not only be 

 of similar size, but should be in proportion to the size and 

 weight of the body. 



5. Working without Shoes. 



Working without shoes is only possible when the hoof i& 

 strong and the ground soft. Only loose fragments of horn 

 should be removed from the frog, thus allowing the weight of 

 the body to be equally distributed over the entire bearing 

 surface of the hoof. The sharp edge of the wall is then 

 well-rounded off with a rasp to prevent pieces breaking out — 

 flat, oblique hoofs being more rounded off than those which 

 are upright. With this preparation the hoofs are much im- 

 proved by the animal being worked barefoot. From time to 

 time they should be examined and any irregularities of form 

 corrected. It may be necessary to again round off the wall, 

 especially when the feet are very flat, while the heels may 

 require lowering, as they do not always wear as rapidly as the 

 toe. 



6. General Principles to be Observed in the 

 Choice of the Shoe. 



Considerable care is necessary in selecting shoes from stock. 

 In the first place the shoe must be suited to the size and 

 weight of the horse, to the kind of work, to the surface on 

 which the animal is working, and to the form of the hoof. 

 Young horses, as a rule, wear their shoes less, and are more 

 liable to cut or brush if shod heavily than stiff, old animals, 

 and should, therefore, be shod correspondingly lighter, as 

 should horses in easy draught and those whose work lies on 

 soft ground. Even for paved roads heavy shoes are to be 

 avoided, especially when the pace is faster than a walk. 

 Sufficient strength should, however, be given to ensure the 

 shoe wearing from three to four weeks, and it may be necessary 



