ARTISTIC HORSE -SHOEING. 



101 



liable to pull a part of his foot off. Now I do not file with 

 the ordinary rasp at all. I have a little g-ouge so con- 

 structed that I can take off just what the nail turns up as 

 it comes out and b}^ using- the tool the shell is not weakened 

 at all. A great many after they get the shoe on and 

 clinched, rasp and polish the foot up to the hair. . I never 

 do that now. It should never be done in any case. When 

 it is done the shell of the foot is greatly weakened and all 

 the pores opened. 



Fig. 62.— a Bad Case of Contraction. 



No more rasping or filing- should be done on the outside 

 wall than. is absolutely necessary. 



A BAD CASE OF CONTRACTION. 



Fig. 62 represents a bad case of contraction. Few people 



comprehend how much a horse suffers as his foot is being 



drawn in at the heel by improper shoeing. This difficulty 



is called by some people contraction, and others say that 



