find this will be a great advantage to a great many old 

 horses as well as colts. I have been using this kind of 

 a shoe about twenty years and have had great success 

 with it on some horses. The first horse I ever used 

 them on was McCurdy's Hambletonian. When I took 

 him he was very rough gaited, and would not trot any 

 distance square and true, and would cut a new pair 

 of leather scalpers all to pieces in one work-out. I 

 knew that was the cause of his going rough gaited, and 

 thought if I could stop it he would go much better. 

 So I shod him several times in a short period, experi- 

 menting. I finally filed the shoe square at the toe, 

 like an old worn-out shoe, and he went much better 

 for me. Then I began to square the shoe, and let the 

 hoof project over. He went square and true, shod 

 this way, and was a good horse and won many races. 

 I find this a good way to shoe most trotters during the 

 winter and spring while jogging, as they do not forge 

 and scalp with the square-toed shoes ; and a great 

 many horses do better with them taking their first 

 work, as they quicken the action, especially long strid- 

 ing horses ; and a great many horses that need scalp- 

 ers with the ordinary shoe can go without them by 

 using the square-toed shoe, which is quite an advan- 

 tage, as the scalpers are a great impediment to a horse's 

 speed, often causing him to carry more weight in front 

 to balance the weight of the scalpers. Another advan- 

 tage this shoe has, is this : Some horses are inclined to 

 go a little sideways, that is, carrying one hind foot in 

 between the front feet, and carrying the other hind 

 foot out. When a horse does this, he will trot faster 

 around a turn than he will through the stretch going 

 straight. If he carries his right hind foot in, he will 

 trot the wrong way of the track around the turn 



130 



