THE SHOE. BEST FORM. 



149 



use of all you can. In the second place, rasping away the 

 surface permits rapid evaporation of moisture, that causes 

 a direct tendency to make it dry and hard, and of contract- 

 ing it. Hence the advantage of covering the hoof and 

 frog with a preparation that will prevent evaporation in 

 the treatment of weak, contracted feet. The outside of 

 the hoof should be let alone all you possibly can, doing 

 nothing for your foolish idea of making a nice-looking 

 foot as it leaves the shop. The smith will usually insist 

 upon running the corner of the rasp under the clinches ; 

 may tell you he cannot make a nice job. Pay no atten- 

 tion to this : simply have the clinches turned down strong- 

 ly, touch the rough corners and edges, no more, with the 

 file, and when done you will be glad you followed my ad- 

 vice. Shoes should be reset as often as every five or six 

 weeks. 



THE SHOE. -BEST FORM. 



I will now say a few words about the shoe ; and I would 

 remind that I cannot here do more than suggest general 

 principles, the condition of foot work, &c., requiring 

 modification to suit each case. The nearer you keep 

 the frog to holding the same relation of pressure to 



(No. 18.) 



View of a foot that has been cut away 

 too much, bringing the shoe too near 

 the sole, and the nails are driven too 

 near the edge ; liable to split and 

 break off, and spoil the hoof. 



(No. 19.) 



The bearing surface left so high that 

 the shoe cannot rest upon the sole, 

 and showing how the nails should 

 be driven to get a good hold ; starts 

 ed in deep, but brought out low. 



the ground that it had before shoeing, or before the 

 foot has been meddled with by the shoer, the better. 

 Second, the nearer you make the shoe on the ground 

 surface the form of the rim of the foot before being 

 cut away, the better. The toe, you notice, is always 



