140 



HORSESHOEING. 



Fig. 150. 



to trail upon the ground just before the hoof alights, and acting 

 as a brake, to bring the hoof to earth (Fig. 150). 



" Cross-firing " is most apt to occur and is most dangerous 

 at extreme speed. Then, when the inner branch of the hind 

 shoe strikes the inner heel, quarter or shoe of the diagonal 

 front foot, both feet are in the air, — the fore foot is approach- 

 ing the middle of its stride, while the offending hind foot is 

 in the last third of its flight. The standing position that favors 

 cross-firing is the base-wide (toe-wide) in front, and the base- 

 narrow (toe-narrow) behind. With this direction of limbs the 



flight of the fore feet is 

 forward and inward during 

 the first half of their stride, 

 while the flight of the hind 

 feet is forward and inward 

 during the second half of 

 their stride (see Eigs. 72, 

 73, 75). 



The problem is, there- 

 fore, so to pare and shoe a 

 „. J ^ .^^ „ J* * I *i. K ir,„ base-wide fore foot that it 



Hind shoe with swelled toe to slow the breaking 



over. Often efficient when the hoof is too short at -^^11 break OVCr nearer the 



the toe: a, long branches to trail and bring the /> i j i 



foot to earth; 6, outer- toe clip; c, toe squared and centre ol the tOC and thUS 



set under to prevent injury to front hoof, and to j. l jr • J 



deaden the sound of forging. CXCCUte IcSS of an mward 



swing during the first half 

 of its stride, and to so pare and 'shoe a base-narrow hind 

 foot that it will break over nearer the centre of the toe and 

 thus execute less of an inward swing during the second half of 

 its stride. Neither a toe-wide nor a toe-narrow foot can be 

 made to break over the exact centre of the toe, and yet it is 

 possible by dressing the hoof and by shoeing to shift the break- 

 ing over point nearer to the centre of the toe, and by doing so, 

 to alter slightly the lines of flight of the feet. 



Dressing and shoeing the front foot : The hoof should be 

 relatively low from the middle of the toe around to and in- 



