SHOEING HORSES. 145 



heel comes directly under the sole, or the heel has been cut 

 down so near the level of the sole as to cause direct pressure 

 upon it and bruise it, or the heel is worn down and broken, 

 allowing gravel to become imbedded under the shoe, and 

 to press into the sole at this point. A red spot, or corn, or 

 general inflammation of the heel, is the result. The bearing 

 all around should be left sufficiently high to prevent the 

 shoe touching or resting upon the sole. As to the SHOE, 

 I will confine myself to the general form most desirable. 

 First, the shoe should in its form carry out as nearly as pos- 

 sible the natural function of the wall ; secondly, that it is not 

 so thick at heel that it will not raise the frog and sole so high 

 as to prevent some contact with the ground ; third, it will 

 get sufficient hold upon the ground to prevent slipping. 

 The first condition requires that the shoe should approxi- 

 mate exactly to the bearing surface of the wall, all the way 

 round, from the heel to the toe, and be so accurately fitting 

 that there is no appreciable space between. Care should 

 be taken, especially at the heel, from the turn of the hoof 

 back, that the bearing is cut or rasped so that it is perfectly 

 flat. Too often the smith runs the buttress or rasp so 

 recklessly, that this part is cut out cup like, the outside 

 edge much the highest, so that looking from the outside 

 the shoe may seem to fit nicely; the consequence would 

 be, the rapid breaking down of this thin edge of horn, leav- 

 ing the shoe loose, and permitting gravel to work in under 

 the heel and press upon the sole. The point is, when the 

 shoe is fitted, see that the bearing surface, of the heel espe- 

 cially, be perfectly level, if any thing a little convex, and have 

 sufficient horn to support the hoof perfectly. 



BAD FITTING OF SHOE. 



Nine times out of ten, upon critical examination, the 

 bearing surface of the shoe, when fitted, will be found 

 largely concave at the heel, thereby causing a moderate 

 but constant pressure of the quarters together. 



Let the whole surface be flat and smooth, a good even 

 fit, coming out flush with edge of the hoof all the way 

 round. For light driving, and especially if the hoof is 

 light, the shoe should be a thin, flat bar. If the roads are 

 hard and stony, and the sole thin, the bar should be rather 



