FITTING THE SHOE. 23 



to scorcli tlie horn and show where it fails to fit 

 close. 



When the toe is once properly fitted, there will 

 be very little trouble in fitting the quarters and 

 heels. You have only to bring them in over the 

 beak of the anvil until the edge of the shoe ranges 

 with the edge of the hoof back to the farthest 

 point of the heel on each side, and continue the 

 same sweep until it nearly touches the frog. There 

 must be none of the shoe left sticking out beyond 

 the hoof, either behind or at the sides of the heels. 



I know that a great many smiths are very fond 

 of what are called "open-heeled shoes," which 

 means shoes with straight heels, wide apart, and 

 projecting beyond the hoof, both behind and at the 

 sides; and the only reason I have ever heard in 

 favor of such shoes is a very bad one, — viz. : that 

 the horse requires more support at the heels than 

 he gets from the hoof. But you may depend upon 

 it that nature has made no mistake about it; and 

 if the horse really wanted more support than he 

 gets from the heels of the hoof, he would have had 



