112 HORSES AND ROADS. 



benefited all round by the use of tips, the toe will 

 not have received as much benefit as the other parts, 

 both on account of want of attrition and from having 

 been pierced by nails ; still it will be found to 

 have made an improvement through the freer circu- 

 lation of blood, &c. The toe, as will be seen, has 

 its fibres in a more slanting position than the re- 

 mainder of the crust, and a leverage is brought to 

 bear upon it every time the horse lifts his foot, 

 which leverage the other parts have not to bear. 

 Nature therefore has made it the thickest, strongest, 

 and fastest growing of all. 



On first discarding the tips the horn on the toe 

 may be found to chip away until the nail holes grow 

 out. This may in great measure be avoided by not 

 driving the nails far and straight up into the horn. 

 It is not necessary so to do to hold on a light tip. The 

 points of the nails can generally be brought out low 

 down, and when the iron is thrown aside, the edge 

 of the hoof must be well rounded off with a rasp, 

 which will do away with nearly all chipping. It is best 

 always to keep the hoofs of unshod horses slightly 

 rounded off on their edges. When this is done, once 

 a week or so, no further trimming is necessary. 



The shod horse has to dig his toes into the 

 ground to start a load ; but it will be found that as 

 he gradually gets unshod he will also gradually lose 

 this habit, because, as he goes on ' feeHng his feet,' 

 he will find out by instinct the natural way of using 

 them, which is on the fiat, and then the leverage and 

 strain on the toe will be lessened, and the chipping 



