HORSESHOEING. 107 



ing or close-nailing, and in the latter the nail-holes will tear out 

 easily when the nails are being clinched. 



In driving a nail, it should be held in the fingers as long as 

 possible in the direction in which it is desired that it shall pass 

 through the horn. A nail should be driven cautiously, with 

 attention to its sinking and sound, and yet with enough force so 

 that at each stroke it will penetrate from one-fifth to one-fourth 

 of an inch. The power required at each stroke will depend 

 upon the hardness of the horn and the size of the nail. Fear- 

 less driving and timorous tapping should not be allowed. 



Nails, which at a depth of five-eighths of an inch are still 

 going soft, or which bend and give a dull sound, or cause pain, 

 should be immediately withdrawn. 



According to the size of the hors6 and his hoofs the nails 

 should be driven from five-eighths to an inch and five-eighths 

 high, and as even as possible. As soon as a nail is driven its 

 point should be immediately bent down towards the shoe in 

 order to prevent injuries. The heads of all the nails should 

 then be gone over with a hammer and driven down solidly into 

 the nail-holes, the hoof being meanwhile supported in the left 

 hand. Pincers are then held under the bent nails and they are 

 more sharply bent by light blows upon the nail-heads. The 

 points of the nails are now nipped off near the hoof, the horn 

 which has been thrown out just below the clinches by bending 

 the nails down is removed with rasp or gouge, and the ends of 

 the nails bent down still more, but not quite flush with the 

 wall. This operation is called " clinching." A clinching-block 

 or a pair of ordinary blacksmith's pincers is then placed under 

 the end of the nail, now called a clinch, and by light blows (in 

 doing this the nail must not bend within the wall) upon the head 

 the clinch is turned closer to the surface of the wall ; finally, 

 with the front edge of the nail-hammer the clinch is hammered 

 down flush with the wall. On the inner half of the wall the 

 clinches should not be felt on stroking the wall with the fingers. 

 The small amount of horn that projects beyond the shoe around 



