702 



SHOEING. 



notice in Central Pennsylvania. The feet were broad and flat, 

 with the heels drawn in to a point so that there was scarcely any 

 bearing of them upon the shoe. The result of this was that the 

 horn wore or broke away until the line of bearing was over an 

 inch above that of the frog. To remedy the difficulty, the calks 

 were raised correspondingly high to keep the frog from the 



ground. (See Fig. 

 542.) This horse trav- 

 eled with great diffi- 

 culty, even on a walk. 

 If it is desired to re- 

 store the condition of 

 the circulation and 

 quality of horn, by far 

 the best way of doing 

 it would be to put on 

 thin-heeled shoes, with 

 iron just wide enough 

 around the quarters 

 and heels to protect the 

 wall, and then turn the 

 horse out for a few 

 months. In the meantime, dress the feet two or three times a week 

 with hoof liniment to stimulate the growth of good horn, and 

 prevent the weakening effects of too much moisture. If, how- 

 ever, the feet are weak and the horse must be used, a better 

 way would be to put on a thin bar shoe, the bar part extending 

 well forward under the frog, to give more basis of support. (See 

 Fig. 543.) Of course nothing more should be cut away from the 

 heels than is sufficient to barely level them a little. Especial care 

 should be taken to protect them from excessive wear and break- 

 ing down by the shoe, which may be done by placing leather be- 

 tween the bearing surfaces of the foot and the shoe. The better 

 to support such a shoe and lessen the nailing, a light clip may be 

 turned up on each side. In many cases of this kind the horn 

 may be very brittle, so that it is not only advisable to use small 

 nails, but to drive them where a strong hold can be taken any- 

 way, the shoe must be fastened on so firmly that it will not get 

 loose or work on the foot. In some cases it may be necessary to 



FIG. 544. The shoe as it may be fitted to 

 support weak heels. 



