SHOEING CAVALRY HORSES IN INDIA. 
193 
and these parts are consequently sprung , even with the circular 
shoe ; though this is not intentionally done, but arises from 
the mode of paring and the shortness of shoe, which does 
not project wider than the heels of the hoof. The nails are 
then driven obliquely outwards, through a portion of the 
sole and crust, so as to come out very low down. 
The nail is similar to that known in England as the 
bullock shoe nail, having a large head with the shank pro- 
ceeding from the side of it, the head being turned as it may 
be most convenient, to take more or less hold of the sole. 
The shod foot is then put on a piece of board, while the 
groom now holds up the opposite leg. The nail-heads being 
large, and projecting below the surface of the shoe, support 
the weight while the inner nail-points are broken off and 
clinched; the points of the outer nails are not broken off, 
but are turned round so as to form a kind of rivet, which is 
greater security, than clinching, against the shoe being forced 
off. Any horn that may project beyond the outer edge of 
the shoe is cut off* while the foot is on the board. 
By description, this may appear a tedious method of shoe 
ing ; practically, it is not so ; and with such strong hoofs a 
man soon becomes skilful. It is only with flatter soles, 
which are exceptions in hot countries, or when the crust is 
much broken, that difficulty arises, because the natives do 
not understand perpendicular nailing in the crust only. The 
shoe, therefore, has then to be made by using a larger mould, 
slightly convexo-concave, similar to the French shoe, which 
enables the man to still drive the nails through a portion of 
the sole as well as the crust ; this he would not be able to 
do if he pared the sole level to the broken crust at the 
quarters. This may be difficult to understand from descrip- 
tion ; but let a person practically try it, and he will find out 
the advantage of the native practice, which, in this instance, 
is similar to the application of the shoe by the French. I 
have no hesitation in writing it is more advantageous than 
the English mode of paring away the sole, leaving the crust 
only bearing on the shoe, and the nails driven perpendi- 
cularly into the crust only ; under which circumstances, in 
deep ground, the shoe is very liable to be drawn off, with all 
the nails in it, the clinches being all drawn through the soft 
hoof, and even a hard one.* 
The shoe is allowed to remain on while nails will retain it; 
* On the Surrey side of the Thames, opposite the London Docks, there 
was, some years ago, and may be now, the Waterman’s shed, hung up in 
which, I saw numerous horseshoes, and on inquiring t he reason, a water* 
xxvii. 2(i 
