PRATTS POINTERS ON THE HORSE 



TT 



BAD NAILING. 



all that is necessary is to level the bottom crust of the 

 wall of the foot. No scooping of the 

 sole or cutting the frog is needed, as 

 it will cause lameness. 



Use the very best drawn nails ; 

 three nails on a side are all that is 

 necessary. Too many nails are injuri- 

 ous, and do not allow them to be 

 tightly clinched. See that the nails are driven so that 

 they take firm hold of the lower walls of the hoof and 

 away from the sensitive part. The shoes must possess a 

 level surface for the wall to rest upon, and no part of the 

 sole or frog need touch the shoe. A 

 shoe without caulks is the best ; it 

 should be of the same thickness all 

 around and be light. The shoe should 

 fit the hoof so closely that no water 

 can get between. Don't chop or rasp 

 the front of the foot. The rasp should 

 only be used on bottom crust. Burn- 

 ing the sole to procure a fit is very injurious. The heat 

 drives the water out of the horny substance and causes 

 it to become hard, contracted and brittle. Good horse- 

 shoers never burn the hoof to make it fit the shoe. 



FOOT READY FOR 

 SHOE. 



