SHOEING 123 



different horses. More often, however, a little 

 time is needed to work much change. 



The hard rubber pads that are made for shoe- 

 ing horses subject to bruised heels often serve an 

 excellent purpose, especially on horses that are 

 used constantly upon paved streets. With them 

 the shoe, like the tip, is cut short and the heel and 

 most of the frog bear upon the rubber. This 

 gives frog pressure and also prevents concussion 

 and, unlike the tip, has no tendency to elevate the 

 toe. But as the pad is so made that its leather 

 sole covers the whole bottom of the foot, the 

 method recommended above is to be preferred 

 whenever practicable. In the country it usually 

 works better than the pad and often works equally 

 well in the city. 



In winter, unfortunately, no device has yet been 

 found for taking the place of the sharp-calked 

 shoe — and this, of course, does not admit of much 

 frog pressure. If more natural conditions are 

 observed in shoeing during the months that are 

 free from ice, however, the horse will generally go 

 through the winter all right with calks. Person- 

 ally, I have found the shoe called the " Never- 

 slip " the most satisfactory. In form it is a 

 " snow shoe " — that is, its inside edge is bevelled 

 so that the snow comes out of it readily, and its 

 calks are made with the center harder than the 



