240 DISEASES OF HORSES AND CATTLE. 



by the construction of the horse's hoof and its use, 

 it is only necessary to follow nature. In order that 

 a healthy foot should be shod and kept healthy it 

 is first essential to abolish the drawing knife and 

 do away with the calkins and toe pieces; This 

 can be done in the case of the driving horses, which 

 have light work, and horses on the farm. 

 Heavy draft horses in the city must have calkins 

 on their shoes to prevent them from slipping on the 

 stone pavement, although it is injurious to the 

 feet, but it is unnecessary to use the knife on them, 

 and this, the worst of evils, can be averted. The 

 proper system of shoeing is to take a rasp and level 

 the wall, so that a margin of the sole will bear on 

 the shoe. Have the bearing surface for the shoe 

 about three-quarters of an inch at the toe and not 

 more than half an inch at the heel. On this level 

 surface put on a level shoe, at least three-quarters 

 of an inch in width at the toe and half 

 an inch at the heels. The shoe should be 

 no thicker at the heel than at the toe, 

 the nails should not be driven too high, and for the 

 horse of light work four nails on the outside and 

 three on the inside are sufficient. The rasping on 

 the outer surface should not extend above the 

 nails, as it would destroy the enamel, which was 

 mentioned was there for the purpose of preventing 

 evaporation from the foot and moisture from get- 

 ting into it. A horse shod in this way has all parts 

 of its feet left which are needed to support the 

 weight of the body. Williams says: "Experience 

 and anatomical investigation points to the con- 



