SHOEING. 



633 



low or worn down, have broader and stronger heels. This will 



be more noticeable in horses used exclusively on certain lines, that 



wear shoes without 



calks, or those with 



slight elevations around 



the outer edge, which 



soon wear down and 



admit of a reasonably 



close contact of the foot 



with the ground. 



Upon inquiry into 

 the mode of adjusting 

 such shoes, it was ascer- 

 tained that the invaria- 

 ble rule was, simply to 

 lower the wall, fit and 

 nail on the shoes with- 

 out touching sole or 

 frog, except to remove 

 or scale off any extra 

 accumulations. Companies adopting this method all admitted 



that it was not only a great 

 saving, but greatly improved 

 the condition of the feet.* 



We see there is rarely any 

 trouble with the feet, no con- 

 traction, quarter-cracks, 



FIG. 432. Half of hoof removed, showing coro- 

 nary ring or cushion from which 

 the hoof grows. 



FIG. 433. Bottom view of the above. 



* I present a series of illustrations 

 showing the bad effects of a few years' 

 shoeing with thick shoes which re- 

 moved all contact of the sole and 

 frog from the ground, the results of 

 careful experiments made by Bracy 

 Clark, and published in 1809. First. 

 of a healthy, natural foot; next, 

 showing the degree of contraction 

 and change of structure produced in 

 the same foot after one, three, and 

 six years' shoeing. 



