92 THE horse's rescue. 



Lock the shop again ! Let us finish cupping out his 

 feet. It will not do to cut away much near the wall 

 at toe; it is thin there now. Pare down next to the 

 point of frog until you can spring the sole a little with 

 a pair of shoeing pincers all around the frog. Pare 

 the brace very slanting toward the frog. Care should 

 be taken to cut the sole even. Feel with pincers. 

 There, these feet are dressed for shoeing. Keep them 

 in warm water. They have been days all of the time. 

 In comes Mr. Bennett. He says he is losing two dol- 

 lars per day by the horse lying still. 



"Mr. Bennett," says I, "my time is not up yet. 

 This horse's feet are badly contracted. I cannot fix 

 him unless I have time." 



Now we will make a pair of shoes, narrow web, for 



this horse has a very thick shell ; six nails on each 



side. Nail clear around to heel — light nails. I am 



going to spread these feet. It will be necessary to 



turn the shoe-heels down a little to hold against the 



brace, so as to spread at the heel and take the strain 



off the nails and the shell. ISTail solid, and clinch. 



The shoe should rest only on the shell all around; the 



foot should represent an inclined plain clear to the very 



edo-e of the wall, and be left so when ironed. All 



should slant toward the center of foot. The doors are 



ooen. It is nearly dark. Mr. Brees came in in a 



bluster when I was at work on the last foot, drawing 



the shoe down solid, he looking on. When done, I 



dropped the foot down, and said: "There, Mike, I 



guess I have got you fixed at last." I had been som.e 



time getting these shoes on to suit me. They did suit 



me, for the opei-ation called out the remark I made. 



