390 



SHOEING. 



Fig. 594. — Fool Referred to in Text as it Appeared. 



In advising tips or thin-heeled shoes, he says : — 



1 ' Thin tips extending back to the middle of the quarters, allow the heels to 

 bear upon the ground, and the weight to be sustained behind and before, but partic- 

 ularly in the latter, because the weight of the body falls heaviest there. 



" The shorter the shoe is, 

 the less the horse slips, and 

 the frog has the same influ- 

 ence in preventing this that 

 an old hat placed under our 

 own shoes would have in 

 protecting us from slipping 

 on the ice. * * * 



"It is necessary, neverthe- 

 less, that hoofs which have 

 weak walls should be a little 

 longer shod, so that the grad- 

 ually thinning branches 

 reach to the heels, though 

 not resting upon them. For 

 horses which have convex 

 soles, these long shoes 

 should also be used, and the 

 toes should be more covered 

 ' .to prevent the sole touch- 

 ing the ground. This. is the only true method Of preserving the foot and restoring 

 it. A horse which lias its feet weak and sensitive, ought to tie shod as short as pos- 

 sible, and with thin branches, so that the frog comes in contact with the ground '• 

 because the heels, having nothing between them, are benefited and relieved. (See- 

 Fig. 479.) 



" Crescent shoes are all the more 

 needful for a horse which has weak, 

 incurvated quarters, as they not 

 only relieve them, but also restore 

 .them to their natural condition. 

 Horses which have contusion at the 

 heels (Mains, corns), should also be 

 shod in this way ; and for cracks 

 (seime, sand-cracks) at the quarter, 

 it is also advantageous. 



"The sole or frog should never 

 be pared ; the wall alone should be 

 cut down,, if it is too long. When 

 a horse cuts himself with the op- 

 posite foot, the inner branch of 

 the shoe ought to be shorter and 

 thinner than the outer. 



"Rasping the foot destroys the 

 strength pi the hoof, and consequently, causes its horn to become dry, and the 

 horny laminae beneath to grow weak ; from this often arises an internal inflam- 

 mation, which renders the foot painful, and makes the horse go lame. * * * 



Fig. 595. 



—The Shoe as it may be Fitted to 

 Support Weak Heels. 



