HORSESHOEING. 



nails. At the same time he should be asking himself if, 

 where, and hoiv much horn is to be removed. In all cases all 

 loosely attached fragments of horn are to be removed, for ex- 

 ample, chips of horn produced by repeated bending and stretch- 

 ing of the lower border of the wall. The sole is then freed 

 from all flakes of dead horn. The shoer then 

 runs the rasp around the outer border of the Fig 96. 

 wall and breaks it off to the depth to which 

 he thinks it should be shortened, and then 

 cuts the wall down to its union with the sole, 

 so that at least one-eighth of an inch of the 

 edge of the sole lies in the same level as the 

 bearing-surface of the wall. Finally, the wall, 

 white line, and outer margin of the sole, form- 

 ing the " bearing-surface," must be rasped until 

 they are perfectly horizontal, except that at the 

 toe of forehoofs this bearing-surface may be 

 rasped slightly upward (rolled toe). 



In dressing the hoof the branches of the frog 

 should always be left prominent enough to pro- 

 ject beyond the bearing-surface of the quarters 

 about the thickness of an ordinary flat shoe. 

 If it be weakened by paring, it is deprived of 

 its activity, shrinks, and the hoof becomes nar- 

 row to a corresponding degree. The frog should, 

 therefore, be tnmmed only when it is really too 

 prominent. However, loose and diseased par- 

 ticles of horn may be trimmed away when it is 

 affected with thrush. Nippers. 



The bars should be spared and never 

 shortened except when too long. Their union with the wall at 

 the quarters must in no case be weakened, and never cut through 

 (opening up the heels). They should be left as high as the 

 wall at the quarters, or only a little less, while the branches of 

 the sole should lie about one-eighth of an inch lower. 



