and bear weight on the wall only. It is often the case that 

 the outside of the foot is worn away to such an extent that 

 the foot cannot be reduced to a level. The foot must then 

 be leveled up in such case with a strip of leather, for the 

 shoe to get an even bearing with the rest of the foot. Do 

 not try to reduce the sole with a knife, because it will draw 

 blood and the horse is apt to go lame. In such case it is 

 best to use a front shoe on a hind foot. In speaking of 

 clips, I have removed quite a few shoes in my time where 

 lameness was caused by unskillfully adjusting them. 



Where the toes of the feet were rotten from fever 

 had caused separation of the wall and sole. 

 The most damage done with clips is on large flat feet just 

 where they are most necessary ; they, however, can be used 

 without harm, if we just know how, but if we would save 

 this work of cutting the sole so that the shoe has more of a 

 surface to rest on. Six or eight nails and without a clip 

 will hold a well-fitted shoe on a good foot, and, furthermore, 

 cutting the horny soles and rasping the outer walls causes 

 a dryness of the foot, but it is an old custom from which 

 we ought to drift away. Those habits are nothing but 

 wasteful hobbies. It is done, I think, with the view of 

 beautifying the foot to please the eye. Save that work, and 

 at the same time the foot and horse. It is like in married 

 life, if an unpleasant act occurs, forget it, break away from 

 the habits of thinking and forgiving. A retentive memory 

 is a good thing, but the ability to forget is the true token of 

 greatness, so the thing to do is to forget. Close your eyes 

 to little things and love your wife for her faults. Men and 

 women should both share in all joys and sorrows, and you 

 got to let men or women have their heads once in a while, 

 put that into your noodles and don't let it get away from 

 you. It is similar to that of shoeing a nervous horse. If 

 we know how to read a horse's disposition and control our 

 temper, too. A nervous horse, when he wants to take his 

 foot, while shoeing him, generally it is best to let him have 



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