18 



called calkins. These, by preventing the frog from Coming too often to 

 the ground, mustbe evidently advantageous ; as well as rendering the foot 

 more ftxed. In their shoes for nag horses, the web is as thick or thioker 

 than the external rim, and by the general cupping of the shoe, is brought 

 so low as to take the ground first, as is generally the case for the same 

 reason, with our draught horse shoes. Their nail holes are nearly Square 

 and particularly large and coarse, and the pvitchel burs carelessly left. 

 Whether their nail holes being large, and the shank of the nails sniall, may 

 not perhaps afford a degree of movement that may be useful in relieving 

 the foot and in part account for the greater ease of these foreig» horses. 

 Certain it is, that our sraiths and veterinarians have been studiously em- 

 ployed of late years in making their nail heads conical wedges gradually 

 diminishing into the shank, which must impart the most immovable kind 

 of barrier to the foot that can be made. 



To prepare the foot for the shoe, the wall is reduced by the knife to a 

 proper length and levelled with the rasp ; the toe is shortened ; loose flakes 

 of exfoliating hörn are removed from the sole, and this part thickeniug 

 from the use of the shoe, requires sometimes to be thinned. The frog 

 should on no account be sliced with the knife, for the hörn of this part 

 is never too thick for its defence, and has the power of ever maintaining 

 its proper form, even suffering rags to remain, will do less härm, than 

 adniitting on any pretence a departure from this wholesome law;* 



In paring out the foot, the smith is led by the fresh appearance of the 

 sole to judge when it is cut enough, or by the pressure of his thumb, if he 

 findsit yieldto the impression. With sunk and foundered feet and such as 

 run much to toe, it is prudent to be on the safe side of not paring enough 

 rather than too much, as such feet easily deceive the inexperienced. 



It is generally apprehended, that the level of the horse's foot at bottom 

 when prepared for the shoe ought to be the level of the horizon ; this does 

 not however appear to be exactly true, for if you keep cutting away the 

 sole tili the foot held upwards appears level to the eye, you will arrive 

 at the blood on the inner side before you do on the outer, from the san 

 guiferous parts being lower on Ihe inside, as we have before stated in 

 describing the hoof. It therefore appears that the foot should be rather 

 higher on the inside and lower on the outside, when placed on the ground 

 consistently with the views of nature. This circumstance of the sole not 



* See the history of tlie Frog in the First Part of tliis Work. 



