iqoq.] 



Shoeing of Horses. 



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seated out on the foot surface, and in some cases are made 

 concave. The weight of shoes is a varying quantity, and 

 depends largely upon the nature of the work undertaken ; 

 it must therefore be adapted to circumstances, but in all cases 

 it must be remembered that the lighter the shoe, the easier 

 it is for the horse. In many cases, especially where horses 

 are employed chiefly on farm work, caulkins are used on the 

 outside heels of the hind feet as a stay to the foot on heavy 

 retentive land. The other, or inner heel, must, of course, 

 be raised to a corresponding level, and in no cases should 

 caulkins be applied to the fore shoes. Seven nails are suffi- 

 cient for a well-fitted fore shoe, three on the inner edge and 

 four on the outer edge of the shoe. For the hind shoe, seven 

 or sometimes eight nails should be used. 



The use of machine-made shoes is not to be recommended, 

 as they do not receive that thorough hammering and welding 

 which is essential for the production of a hard, tough un- 

 breakable shoe. It will also be found in this class of shoe 

 that the nail holes are all pitched at the same angle. On a 

 careful observation of the foot, however, it will be seen that 

 the foot inclines more towards the vertical in the quarter than 

 it does in any other part of the foot, and hence this uniform 

 angle of the holes in a machine-made shoe is an undesirable 

 quality. 



The use of steel shoes still finds many supporters, but the 

 great disadvantage encountered in using them is that they 

 become very smooth and slippery on the surface, thus render- 

 ing them dangerous on stone or wood pavings. 



Preparation of the Hoof. — The farrier cannot pay too much 

 attention to the preparation of the horse's foot before fitting 

 the shoe. There are numerous points to be considered to 

 ensure a well-shod foot, and the most important of these are 

 the nature of the work undertaken by the horse, and the 

 variety and quality of the land over which it is accustomed to 

 travel. The foot should be carefully examined in order to 

 notice any peculiarities which may be evident in the wear 

 of the old shoes. Among these may be mentioned forging, 

 stumbling, brushing, or interfering, speedy cutting, &c. 

 Careful note should also be taken to see that the feet are evenly 

 matched in pairs and are level, also to detect the presence of 



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