I909-] 



Shoeing of Horses. 



9i5 



When preparing the foot for shoeing, diseased horn or 

 hard lumps must be cut out of the under surface of the sole, 

 but care should be taken to prevent undue paring ; the sole 

 when fitted with a shoe should be as near the ground as 

 possible, and when attached to the hoof the shoe must run 

 flush from heel to heel, with the outer edge of the wall. 

 Considerable discussion has arisen as to the proper width 

 of shoe for a horse of this class, but about ij in. may be 

 taken as an average, the thickness being from one-half to 

 five-eighths of an inch. The shoe must also be a little longer 

 and broader at the heel than in other parts. The hind foot 

 should be prepared in a similar manner, and the shoe best 

 adapted for this purpose, in the writer's experience, will have 

 a caulkin on the outer heel and a wedge heel inside ; a horse 

 having low heels will do better with a shoe having caulkins 

 on both heels. 



Animals employed solely on the farm or even on the roads 

 do not require caulkins except in special cases, as these pro- 

 jections sometimes give rise to ugly wounds on the coronet 

 when two horses blunder into each other in turning about. 

 It may, however, be said that horses which are worked solely 

 on the roads derive a certain amount of benefit from the use 

 of caulkins on both heels, as these form a means of gaining 

 a foothold when descending steep hills, and also serve to 

 lessen the strain on the back tendons. The length of caulkin 

 in such cases must, however, be moderated according to the 

 angle of the fetlock and the inclination of the foot, as if all 

 the strain is removed from the tendons they will contract. 



The Shoeing of Hunters, — The shoeing of hunters requires 

 great care and experience, as well as a particular form of 

 shoe. The varied character of the ground over which a horse 

 of this class travels renders it extremely desirable that suitable 

 shoes be applied, and those recommended are concave on the 

 under surface and are fullered with seven nail holes, which 

 should be placed a little nearer the heel than in ordinary cases 

 in order to allow of the natural spring of the foot. The fore 

 shoe must be well tapered at the heels, and in the case of 

 the hind shoe caulkins should be raised on the outer heel, and 

 a corresponding wedge on the inner heel. The hind shoe 

 must not be fullered at the toe, as this may prove dangerous 



