HORSESHOEING. 139 



to cany liis head too low; riding without holding a horse to 

 his work by feeling his mouth and pressing the knees against 

 his sides. 3, Fatigiie frequently leads to forging, even in horses 

 that are well built and properly shod. It may also occur in the 

 act of vaulting over an obstacle. 4. Poor shoeing, especially 

 too long toes upon the front and hind hoofs, and too long front 

 shoes. 



The aim of the shoer should be to facilitate the quick and 

 easy " breaking over " of the front foot, so that it may get 

 away before it is overtaken by the hind foot. The toe of the 

 front hoof should be fairly short and rolled ; the quarters spared. 

 The front shoe should be light, rolled at the toe and no longer 

 and no wider than the hoof. The ends of the branches of a 

 flat shoe, and also the heel-calks, in case they are needed to 

 elevate a heel that is too low, should be bevelled from the hoof 

 surface of the shoe downward and forward under the foot. 

 Such short heel-calks, bevelled to prevent forging, are called 

 " forging calks." If the horse continues to forge between the 

 branches and "against the ground surface of the shoe, concaving 

 this surface will prove advantageous (convex iron). The form 

 of the front shoes of horses that forge should represent merely 

 a prolongation of the hoof. 



The " breaking over " of the hind foot should be delayed 

 by sparing the toe and lowering the quarters, but not sufficiently 

 to break the foot-axis too far backward. Tlie hind shoe is to 

 be squared at the toe and the lower edge of the shoe in the 

 region of the toe well rounded ; instead of a toe-clip, two side- 

 clips are to be dra^vn up and the shoe so fitted that at least 

 three-fourths of the thickness of the wall of the toe, with the 

 edge well rounded, will extend for\vard beyond the shoe. Should 

 the toe of the hoof be short it may be raised either by a low toe- 

 calk set one-fourth of an inch back from the edge of the shoe, or 

 by thinning the shoe from the toe to the ends of the branches. 

 The branches of a flat hind shoe should extend somewhat 

 farther back of the buttresses than under normal conditions, 



