30 OF SHOEING. 



It is often objected to close-fitting shoes that they 

 do not allow room for expansion, and will therefore 

 cause contraction. It may be sufficient to observe 

 that all shoes are for fear of treads and cutting fitted 

 close on the inside, on which side contraction almost 

 invariably occurs ; and that they are only left wide 

 on the outside, where contraction is seldom or 

 never found. It is almost needless to observe that 

 a shoe left wide on the outside can have no effect in 

 preventing contraction on the inside. 



All fitting of the shoe must be effected by altering 

 the shoe to the foot, not by rasping down the foot 

 to the shoe. Any mark of the rasp on the crust is 

 the sure sign that the farrier has not taken the 

 trouble to fit the shoe to the foot. 



Length of • 34. The length of the shoe is determined by that 



the shoe. ^^ ^^^ crust. The shoe must be the exact and full 



length of the crust. Nature, in fact, in all cases, 



points out the proper and natural length of the shoe 



by the termination of the crust. 



If shoes are made shorter than the crust, their 

 ends are apt to press upon and dig into the seat of 

 corn. If, on the other hand, the fore shoes are 

 longer than the crust, the hind shoes may catch in 

 their heels and pull them off. 



In fact, the form of the shoe, its proper length, 

 the width of its web, and the shape of its heels are 

 plainly indicated by the shape of the weight-bearing 



