EVERY MAN HIS OWN TRAINER. II7 



term it — that is, cut out a notch each side of the frog — and 

 will tell you that spreads the foot, when the facts are that 

 will cause the foot to contract more than any one thing that 

 can be done to it. The sole is intended as a protection and 

 brace to hold the foot out in its proper form. Nature made a 

 provision for expansion in that natural seam in the centre of 

 the frog. Spreading the heel in any other part causes an in- 

 jury. My experience is that a large majority of horses will 

 go better with a good length of toe. Many times I have left 

 the toe so long it looked outlandish and awkward, but they 

 could go enough faster to overbalance that criticism. In these 

 cases I left the heel of good heighth, so as to proportion the 

 foot and prevent injuring the back tendons. There are cases 

 where the sole is apparently stronger than the wall and should 

 be shod with a level bearing, the web being of good width 

 and touching the sole and wall equally all the way round, so 

 as to prevent the wall spreading from the sole. A good black- 

 smith, one that is fit to shoe a good horse, will be able to de- 

 cide this point if yout mind is not clear about it. 



There are horses that will go better with a tip for a short 

 time — I will limit it to a month or thereabout. All the bene- 

 fit derived from a tip is to prevent the peeling up of the wall 

 at the toe and giving a full sole and frog pressure. But if 

 used any length of time there is danger of injury to the back 

 tendons if they have severe work, especially over a hard 

 track, consequently you should watch your horse carefully, 

 and if you should discover any tendency to soreness remove 

 the tips and' put on the shoes at once. In most cases you 

 will see an improvement in your horse by the change. Put 

 on the tips as heretofore explained in regard to colts. 



Many horses have the habit of forging and scalping, 

 which is a cause ef much annoyance and trouble many times 

 to remedy the fault. Most people think the horse hits the 

 toe of the hind shoe against the heel of the front shoe, but 

 that is not the case, as nine-tenths of the horses that forge or 

 click, as it is many times called, strike the toe of their hind 



