672 HORSE-SHOES AND HORSE-SHOEING. 



the inner aspect of the wall, the horn rapidly becomes soft, 

 spongy, and more like the pith of a rush than horn 

 fibres. What is the usual treatment this region of the 

 hoof receives in, I will be bold to say, nearly every forge 

 in this country, and on the continent, perhaps, as well? 

 The farrier, obeying those whom he has reason to believe 

 know better than himself, respects, it may be, the upper 

 part of the crust, but certainly is not required to do as 

 much for the lower. Owing to his having neglected to 

 rasp away a sufficient amount from its ground border, 

 when preparing the foot for the shoe, or having nailed on 

 one which is too small, a large piece of hoof projects be- 

 yond the edge of the shoe, particularly in the front part. 

 This is torn away by the rasp, after the clenches have 

 been made; and by the time the shoer on improved 

 principles has finished his task, what do we see ? The 

 wall of the foot, instead of coming down from the coronet 

 to the shoe in all its integrity and evenness of slope, as 

 soon as it reaches the clenches, is chopped abruptly down- 

 wards and rounded over like an ill-shaped roll, giving the 

 foot a stump-like appearance, and greatly diminishing the 

 extent of its bearing surface. The greatest evil, however, 

 is in the loss of the strong tough horn, whose presence is 

 so necessary to protect the lower margin of the hoof, and 

 to afibrd support and hold to the nails. In consequence 

 of its removal, these have nothing to depend upon but 

 the thin, soft horn, and this being exposed to influences 

 it was never intended to meet, quickly desiccates, shrivels, 

 becomes brittle, and breaks away. Then we have a hoof 

 which requires the greatest care in shoeing ; the operation 

 of rasping being repeated each time increases the evil, and 



