SHOEING. 148 
they will find their error. Ossification, navicular-joint 
disease, founder, and a variety*of other diseases, are 
frequently due to contraction of the feet. ‘Another evil 
in shoeing, which is calculated to do much mischief, is 
the fitting of the shoe to the foot while red hot. This 
has been a source of complaint throughout all Europe. 
In this country there is little thought of it, to such an 
extent does the practice prevail. The application of the 
shoe in this condition, if performed by a careless work- 
man, frequently is the cause of much mischief, and un- 
der the most favorable circumstances, performed with all 
possible care, causes an- unhealthy secretion of horn for 
along time ‘after, rendering the animal less sure-footed, 
and often causes lameness to follow its application. The 
shoe should in all cases be fitted to the foot, and not the 
foot to the shoe. This of course would be attended with 
more labor ; hence the unwillingness of smiths to do it. 
‘Better would it be for the owner to pay double the price 
for shoeing his horse than to have injury done by the’ 
application of the red-hot shoe. In almost all European 
countries, within the last few years, the smith has been 
‘tauch benefited by the rapid advances made toward per- 
fecting this important branch of labor, mainly through | 
the efforts of our professors in the various veterinary 
‘colleges pointing out, as they have’ ‘done, the evils of 
this shoe and the benefits of that one. 
‘The varieties worthy of mention are as follows: Prof. 
Coleman’s frog-bar shoe, James Turner’s unilateral shoe, 
Mr. Friend’s frog-pressure shoe, and Mr. Percival’s san- 
dal. ‘Many other varieties. have been introduced from 
time to time, requiring no special remark in a work like 
this. Prof. Coleman’s frog-bar shoe consists of a cir- 
cular piece of iron, flat on the upper side, about half an 
inch thick, broader back than front, so as to afford pro- 
