INTRODUCTION 3 
the various modes of management practised in relation to 
the horse’s foot, to the manner of shoeing, and, in particular, . 
to the way in which the foot is prepared for the shoe.’ 
It must be remembered, however, that although harm in 
the forge may frequently arise from culpable roughness 
or carelessness, such is not necessarily always the case, and 
that quite as much injury may result from careful and 
conscientious workmanship when it is unfortunate enough 
to be based upon principles wrong in themselves to com- 
mence with. 
It so happens, too, that shoeing, in itself a necessary 
evil, may be responsible for injuries in the causation of 
which the smith can have played no part. Take, for 
example, the ill effects following upon the animal’s atten- 
dant allowing him to carry his.shoes for too long a time. 
In this case the natural growth of the horn carries the heel 
of the shoe further beneath the foot than is safe for a correct 
bearing; in fact, anterior to the point of inflection of the 
wall. The shoe, at the same time, is greatly thinned from 
excessive wear. Result, a sharp and easily-bended piece of 
iron situate immediately under the seat of corn. Pressure 
or actual cutting of the sole is bound to occur, and the 
animal is lamed. 
Again, apart from the question of negligence or otherwise 
on the part of the smith or the animal's attendant, it must 
be remembered that the nailing on to the foot of a plate of 
iron is not giving to the animal an easier means of progres- 
sion. The reverse is the case. In place of the sucker-like 
face of the natural horn is substituted a smooth, and, with 
wear, highly-polished surface. Slipping and sliding at- 
tempts to gain a foothold become frequent, and strains of 
the tendons and ligaments follow in their wake. 
As, however, this treatise is not intended to deal with 
the art of shoeing, the reader must be referred to other 
works for further information. In addition to Fleming’s, 
there may be mentioned, among others, Hunting’s ‘ Art of 
Horse Shoeing,’ and the very excellent volume of Messrs. 
Dollar and Wheatley on the same subject. 
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