THE ORDINARY TIP. 109 



although it was intended, in due course, to have been 

 demonstrated. 



On farms or other large establishments where 

 numbers of horses are kept, and no spare ones, for 

 the especial purpose of earning their Hving and that 

 of their owners, an ordinary tip (the lunette of La 

 Fosse), covering only the front half of the foot, may 

 be used with good success. Any blacksmith can put 

 this on, although ' Aberlorna ' tells us that they laugh 

 at the idea. This tip should be light, and narrow in the 

 web, as the sole does not want to be covered, and a 

 light tip will wear as long as is necessary before it 

 wants renewal, for we must recollect that the feet 

 grow faster with tips than with full shoes. The nails 

 should also be light and fine, and only four of them 

 used. There is no danger in driving them into the 

 toe, as many farriers imagine. Mayhew is very ex- 

 plicit thereon; and if farriers only had a slight 

 knowledge of a hoof they would be aware that the 

 horn is thicker and stouter at the toe, and that it 

 also grows faster there than elsewhere. 



What we may call the heels of the tip (although they 

 do not reach the heels of the horse) should be eased 

 off on the ground surface in thickness, with the file, at 

 their extremities, so that they may not press unduly 

 at their points upon the crust. The heels of the 

 horse must not have even the slightest paring taken 

 off them ; but the seat of the tip must be pared down 

 in the usual manner, because if the toe should be 

 raised at the same time that the heel is lowered, too 

 much work would be given to the back sinews. 



