474 



THE HORSE. 



shape of the hoof; but, as the weight of the horse falls differ- 

 entlj upon the hind feet to what it does upon the fore feet, and 



as the rider often 

 ^'°"'^'- obliges the horse to 



stop suddenly and 

 without any warning 

 when he is least pre- 

 pared to do so, it be- 

 comes necessary to 

 guard against strains 

 of the hock and back- 

 sinews, by raising the 

 heels of the shoe; 

 but this should be 

 done in such a man- 

 ner as will give both 

 heels an even bear- 

 ing upon the ground. 

 Calkins may be, and, 

 I believe, are, useful 

 to heavy draught- 

 horses, but they are objectionable for fast work ; and turning 

 down the outside heel alone should never be done ; it throws 

 the weight upon the inner quarter, which is the least able to 

 bear it, and strains the fetlock joint. The plan I have adopted 

 for many years is to have the last inch and a half toward the 

 heel forged thicker than any other part of the shoe ; the heels 

 are then made red-hot, and the shoe is put in the vice with the 

 hot heels projecting, which are beaten down with a hammer 

 until they are about an inch long, and then the sides are made 

 even and the foot and ground-surfaces level on the anvil. I 

 have found horses travel pleasanter and receive less damage to 

 their hocks, back-sinews, and fetlock joints, with these heels to 

 their hind shoes, than they have with any others that I have 

 tried. 



The toe of the hind shoe is exposed to great wear, and 

 should be made stout and thick, and rather pointed, with a 

 small clip in the middle, to prevent the shoe from being driven 

 backward ; and the back edge of the web should be rounded 



