FITTING THE SHOE. 465 



grasp of the shoe, and the foot-surface will come uppermost, 

 readj to have the seating made good. 



I will now suppose that you have shortened the toe of the 

 hoof, rasped away the crust to receive the turned-up shoe, cut 

 a notch for the clip, and turned up the toe of the shoe ; you 

 had better next spring the heels to prevent their burning the 

 back part of the crust while you are fitting the shoe to the fore 

 part ; but you must bring them down again before you fit the 

 quarters and heels, and never leave them sprung when the shoe 

 is nailed on. 



Tou must now put the toe of the shoe in the fire, and make 

 it hot enough to mark the uneven portions of honi, which 

 should be rasped away until an even bed is left for the shoe to 

 rest upon. You need not fear to burn the toe of a strong foot ; 

 it can do no harm ; but a weak foot with a thin crust of course 

 will not bear much burning. Still, the shoe should be made 

 hot enough to scorch the horn and show where it fails to fit 

 close. 



"When the toe is more properly fitted, there will be very 

 little trouble in fitting the quarters and heels. You have only 

 to bring them in of er the beak of the anvil, until the edge of the 

 shoe ranges with the edge of the hoof back to the farthest point 

 of the heel on each side, and continue the same sweep until it 

 nearly touches the frog. Tliere must be none of the shoe left 

 sticking out beyond the hoof, either behind or at the sides of 

 the heels. 



I know that a great many smiths are very fond of what are 

 called " open-heeled shoes," which means shoes with straight 

 heels, wide apart, and projecting beyond the hoof, both behind 

 and at the sides ; and the only reason I have ever heard in fa- 

 vor of such shoes is a very bad one, — viz. ; that the horse re- 

 quires more support at the heels than he gets from the hoof. 

 But you may depend upon it that nature has made no mistake 

 about it; and if the horse really wanted more support than he 

 gets from the heels of the hoof, he would have had it. But I 

 think I shall prove to you that this kind of shoe, instead of be- 

 ing a benefit to the horse, is a positive evil to him ; it interferes 

 with his action, and exposes his sole and frog to serious injury 

 from stones in the road, and the projecting portions of the shoe 

 Vol. II.— 30 



