HORSESHOEING. 105 



I. Nailing the Shoe. 



This is that act of horseshoeing by which the shoe is fastened 

 to the hoof by special nails called hoof-nails or horseshoe-nails, 

 which are driven through the shoe and horny wall. 



At present there are hand-made and machine-made horseshoe- 

 nails. Both kinds should be made of the best iron (Swedish 

 wrought iron). The nails must be slender, wedge-shaped, and 

 tmce as wide as they are thick. Thickness and length must be 

 in proper relation to each other. We should never choose a 

 nail which is longer than is absolutely necessary to hold the 

 shoe ; six to nine sizes are sufficient for all purposes. 



The rough nails, before being used, must undergo a special 

 shaping to prepare them to pass through the wall easily and in 

 the desired direction. This preparation is called sharping and 

 bevelling. In doing this we should see to it that the nails are 

 made smooth and even, but are not hammered harder than is 

 absolutely necessary, because the lighter one can hammer the 

 nails the better they will be. 



Furthermore, we must give the nail that form which will 

 insure its passing through the horn straight and not in a curve ; 

 with this object in view, the nail is to be slightly curved so that 

 the side which is turned towards the frog in driving (inside) will 

 be a little concave, the opposite side convex (Figs. 90, 3, and 91, 

 5), since it is known that a straight nail always passes through 

 the horn in a curve, and not only does not long remain tight, but 

 is quite likely to press upon and injure the soft tissues of the foot. 



At the point of the nail the bevel is to be so placed that it will 

 form a short one-sided wedge with the slanting side directed 

 from within to without (Figs. 90, 3, and 91). A short bevel is 

 suitable for nails that are to be driven low, while a long bevel 

 makes it possible to drive them high. The bevel should never form 

 a hook; it must always be straight, should be sharp but not thin, and 

 under no conditions incomplete (defective). 



Machine-made nails, smooth, polished, bevelled, and ready for 



