SHOEING. 



poflible the natural tread and ftiape of tlie foot, muft be 

 preferable to any other. But it is extremely difficult to lay 

 down fixed rules with refpeCt to the proper method to be 

 obferved in treating the hoofs of different horfes : it is 

 equally difficult to lay down any certain rule for determin- 

 ing the precife form to be given to their fhoes. This will be 

 obvious to every judicious praftitioner, from the various 

 conftruftions of their feet, from difeafe, and from other 

 caufes that may occur ; lb that a great deal muft depend 

 upon the difcretion and judgment of the operator, in pro- 

 portioning the (hoe to the foot, by imitating the natural 

 tread, to prevent the hoof from contracting a bad fhape. 

 In order, therefore, t.> give fome general idea of what may 

 be thought moft neceil^ryin this matter, it is endeavoured 

 to defcribe that form of ffioe, and method of treating the 

 hoofs of horfes, which, from experience, has been found 

 molt beneficial. And in this '.t is to be remembered, that a 

 horfe's ffioe ought by no means to reft upon the fole, other- 

 wife it will occafion lamenefs ; therefore it muft reft entirely 

 -")on the cruft : and, in order that we may imitate the natu- 

 ral tread of the foot, the fhoe muft be made flat (if the 

 height of the fole does not forbid it) ; it muft be of an 

 equal thicknefs all around the outfide of the rim ; and on 

 that part of it which is to be placed immediately next the 

 foot, a narrow rim or margin is to be formed, not exceeding 

 the brf-adth of the cruft upon which it is to reft, with the 

 nail-holes placed exactly in the middle, and from this narrow 

 rim the fhoe is to be made gradually thinner towards its 

 inner edge. And that the breadth of the ftioe is to be re- 

 gulated by the fize of the foot, and the work to which the 

 horfe is accuftomed ; but in general, it fliould be made 

 rather broad at the toe, and narrow towards the extremity 

 of each heel, in order to let the frog reft with freedom upon 

 the ground. The neceffity of this has been already (hewn. 

 The (hoe being thus formed and fhaped like the foot, the 

 furface of the cruft is to be made fmooth, and the ftioe fixed 

 on with eight or at moft ten nails, the heads of which fhould 

 be funk into the holes, fo as to be equal with the furface of 

 the fhoe. The fole, frog, and bars, as has been already 

 obferved, fhould never be pared, farther than taking off 

 what is ragged from the frog, and any excrcfcences or in- 

 equalities from the fole. Mr. Ofmer has remarked, that 

 the Ihoe fhould be made fo as to ftand a little wider at the 

 extremity of each heel, than the foot itfclf : otherwife, as 

 the foot grows in length, the heel of the fhoe in a (hort time 

 gets within the heel of the horfe ; which preflure often 

 breaks the cruft, and produces a temporary lamenefs, per- 

 haps a corn. But thir. method of ffioeing horfes has been 

 followed long before Mr. Ofmer's trcatife on that lubjcft 

 was publifhcd ; and for thefe feveral years paft it has been 

 endeavoured to introduce it into pradtice. But fo much are 

 farriers, grooms, &c. prejudiced in favour of the common 

 method of Ihoeing and paring out the feet, that it is with 

 difficulty they can even be prevailed upon to make a proper 

 trial of it. They cannot be fatisfied unlefs the frog be 

 tniely fhaped, the fole pared, aod the bars cut out, in order 

 to make the heels appear wide. This praftice gives them a 

 fhow of widenefs for the time ; yet that, together with the 

 concave form of the (hoe, forwards the contraftion of the 

 heels, which, when confirmed, renders the animal lame for 

 life. 



It is contended, thar in this flat form of fhoe, its thickeft 

 part is upon theoutfideof the rim, where it iamoll oxpofcd to 

 be worn ; and being made gradually thinner towards its inner 

 edge, it is therefore much liglitcr than the common concave 

 fhoe ; yet it will laft equally as long, and with more advan- 

 tage to the hoof; and as tlie frog or heel is allowed to reft 



Vol. XXXII. 



upon the ground, the foot enjoys the fame points of fupport 

 as in its natural itatc. It muft therefore, it is fuppoled, be 

 much eafier for the horfe in his way of going, and be a means 

 of making him fure-footed. It is likewifc evident, that, from 

 this Ihoe, the hoof cannot acquire any bad form ; when, at 

 the fame time, it receives every advantage that poffibly could 

 beexpefted from fhoeing. In this refpeit it may very pro- 

 perly be faid, that we make the fhoe to the foot, and not 

 the foot to the fhoe ; as is but too much the cafe in the 

 concave (lioes, where the foot very much rcfembles that of a 

 cat's fixed into a walnut- fhell. But it is to be obferved, that 

 the lioofs of young horfes, before they are fhod, for the 

 moft part are wide and open at the heels, and that the cruft 

 is fufficiently thick and ftrong to admit of the nail's being 

 fixed very near the extremities of each. But, as has been 

 formerly remarked, from the conftant ufe of concave fhocs, 

 the cruft of this part of the foot grows thinner and weaker, 

 and when the nails are fixed too far back, cfpecially upon the 

 infide, the horfe becomes lame : to avoid this, they are placed 

 more towards the fore part of the hoof. This caufes the 

 heels of the horfe to have the greater fpring upon the heels 

 of the fhoe, which is fo very detrimental as to occafion lame- 

 nefs ; whereas by ufing this flat form of fhoe, all thefe tn- 

 conveniencies are avoided ; and if the hoofs of young horfe* 

 from the firlt time that they were fhod, were continued to 

 be conftantly treated according to the method here recom- 

 mended, the heels would always retain their natural ftrength 

 and fhape. By following this flat method of fhoeing, and 

 manner of treating the hoofs, feveral horfes now under this 

 management, that were formerly tender-footed, and fre- 

 quently lame, while (hod with broad concave fhoes, are now 

 quite found, and their hoofs in as good condition as when 

 the firft fhoes were put upon them. It is thought that if 

 farriers confidcred attentively the defign of fhoeing horfes, 

 and would take pains to make themfelves acquainted with 

 the anatomical ftrudlure of the foot, they would then be 

 convinced, that this method of treating the hoofs, and 

 this form of fhoe, is preferable to that which is fo gene- 

 rally praclifed. But it has been alleged, that in this 

 form of fhoe, horfes do not go fo well as in that commonly 

 ufed. This objedtion will eafily be fet afide, by attending 

 to the following particulars. There are but few farriers that 

 can or will endeavour to make this fort of fhoe as it ought 

 to be. The iron, in forming it, does not lo eafily turn into 

 the circular fhape neceffary, as in the common flioe ; and per- 

 haps this is the principal rcafon why they objeft to it, efpe- 

 cially where they work much by the piece. And as many 

 horfes tliat are commonly fliod with concave fhoes have their 

 foles confiderably higher than the cruft, if the fhoe is not 

 properly formed, or if it is made too flat, it muft unavoid- 

 ably reft upon the fole, and occafion lamenefs. Further, 

 that the praftice of paring the fole and frog is alfo lb 

 prevalent, and thought fo abfolutcly neceffary, that it i« 

 indifcriminately pradtifed, even to excefe, on all kinds of 

 feet ; and while tiiis method continues to be followed, it 

 cannot be cxpedted that horfes can go upon hard ground, 

 on this open (hoe, with that freedom they would do if their 

 foles and frogs were allowed to remain in their full natural 

 ftrength. Exi)erience teaches us, thjt in very lhiu-(olcd 

 (hoes, we feel an acute pain from every fliarp-pointed tlone 

 we happen to tread upon. Horles are fenfible of "le (ame 

 tiling in their feet, when their (oies, 5:c. arc pared too tiiin. 

 Hence they who are prejudiced againfl this method, without 

 ever reflecting up(m the thin Hale of the fole, &c. arc apt 

 to condemn it, and draw their conclufioiis more from out- 

 ward appearances tiian from any reafoning or knowledge of 

 the ftrudture of the parts. From a due attention likcwife to 



4 n the 



