FIRST-HAND BITS OF STABLE LORE 



a sharp point on the clinches so that they may 

 hammer smoothly down. Never permit these 

 to be drawn too hard, and after they are turned 

 down, just smooth them (not the foot) over with 

 the rasp, thus leaving intact the delicate covering 

 of the foot. Such a shoe should be convex on 

 the ground surface, and the big natural frog assists 

 this very narrow protection, which rests upon 

 the bars as intended, and not upon the sole, to 

 provide a good foothold, and to minimize the 

 concussion to the limit. Indeed, such a shoe is 

 quite as useful as though sharpened even in the 

 frostiest weather, and provides quite a secure 

 footing. Bevelling of the toe should always cause 

 the new shoe to imitate the shape which travel 

 had caused the old one to assume, and we are 

 very careless in not recognizing this need and 

 compelling the horse to anew stub away his toe 

 until a comfortable angle is reached. Six nails, 

 and generally five are enough for any shoe, and 

 these should be driven at a sharp angle with 

 the ground surface so as to take a short hold of 

 the horn, and to come out as near the ground 

 surface as possible, and at the same time to 

 cross the grain of the horn, over-lying just 

 enough of it to afford the clinches a nice hold. 



122 



