278 THE PKACTICE OF SHOEING. 



nail holes Doted. The form of the shoe, the relations of the 

 nail heads to the holes, and the relation of the shoe to the sole 

 and frog are seen. The sole, bars, and frog should be strong, 

 and the frog should project sufficiently to touch the ground. 

 The shoe should take a level Ijearing throughout. 



In front shoes the nail holes should be distributed chiefly in 

 the anterior half ; in hind shoes, on the otlier hand, they may 

 extend as far as the posterior third. The nail heads should 

 fill the countersinks and should either not project at all beyond 

 the ground surface of the shoe or only about yV of an inch. 

 The inner and under margin of the shoe should never be sharp 

 nor project towards the middle line, i.e., towards the opposite 

 limb. The inner and upper margin should not touch the 

 liorny sole, nor should the lieels lie in contact with the frog. 



After this examination, which is performed very rapidly, all 

 old nail holes are filled with wax and, if not seen to before, 

 the entire hoof and sole rubbed over with hoof ' dressing.' 



13. Disadvantages of Shoeing. 



Shoeing has certain innnediate bad results, which the farrier 

 must be acquainted with, in order to be able, as far as possible, 

 to minimise them. Many farriers and owners are unaware of 

 how these are produced, and are satisfied to refer them to 

 defects in form and length of the shoe, etc., in accordance with 

 their particular, often erroneous, theories. With the knowledge, 

 however, that shoeing completely alters the relations of the hoof 

 to the ground, in fact places the hoof in an entirely unnatural 

 condition, the reasons for injury are more easily understood. 

 The body-weight is now no longer supported by the entire 

 lower surface of the hoof but rests almost entirely upon the 

 wall, which again rests upon the shoe. 



The following are some of the disadvantages. (1) The sole 

 and frog are almost entirely relieved from the counter-pressure 

 of the ground ; in consequence they lose their function, and in 

 common with the posterior parts of the foot tend to shrink. 

 At the same time, an excess of weight is thrown on the wall, 

 checking its growth, exposing it to severe internal strain, and 

 in too many cases leading to contraction and deformity. 



