THE HORSE. 
49 
The portion of the heels between the inflection of the bar and the 
frog should scarcely be touched — at least, the ragged and detached 
parts alone should be cut away. The foot may not look so fair and 
open, but it will last longer without contraction. 
The bar, likewise, should be left fully prominent, not only at its first 
inflection, but as it runs down the side of the frog. The heel of the 
shoe is designed to rest partly on the heel of the foot and partly on the 
bar, for reasons that have been already stated. If the bar is weak, the 
growth of it should be encouraged ; and it should be scarcely touched 
when the horse is shod, unless it has attained a level with the crust. 
It will also be apparent, that the horn between the crust and the bar 
should be carefully pared out. Every horseman has observed the relief 
which is given to the animal lame with corns, when this angle is well 
thinned. 
The degree of paring to which the frog must be subjected, will 
depend on its prominence, and on the shape of the foot. The principle 
has already been stated, that it must be left so far projecting and prom- 
inent, that it shall be just within and above the lower surface of the 
shoe ; it will then descend with the sole sufficiently to discharge the 
functions that have been attributed to it. If it is lower, it will be 
bruised and injured ; if it is higher, it cannot come in contact with the 
ground, and thus be enabled to do its duty. The ragged parts must be 
removed, and especially those occasioned by thrush, but the degree of 
paring must depend entirely on the principle just stated. 
Putting on tile Shoe. — The shoe should accurately fit the size of the 
foot; if too small, and the foot is rasped down to fit the shoe, the crust 
is thinned where it receives the nail, and the danger of puncture, and 
of pressure upon the sole, is increased ; and a foot so artificially dimin- 
ished in size, will soon grow over the shoe, to the hazard of considera- 
ble or permanent lameness. 
The shoe should be properly beveled off, that the dirt, gravel, etc., 
which gets between it and the foot may be shaken out. 
The web of the shoe is likewise of that thickness, that when the foot 
is properly pared, the prominent part of the frog shall lie just within 
and above its ground surface, so that in the descent of the sole, the 
frog shall come sufficiently on the ground to enable it to act as a wedge 
and to expand the quarters, while it is defended from the wear and in- 
jury it would receive, if it came on the ground with the first and full 
shock of the weight. 
The nail-holes are, on the ground side, placed as near the outer edge 
of the shoe as they can safely be, and brought out near the inner edge 
of the seating. The nails thus take a direction inward, resembling 
that of the crust itself, and have firmer hold, and the weight of the 
horse being thrown on a flat surface, contraction is not so likely to be 
produced. 
It is expedient not only that the foot and ground surface of the shoe 
should be most accurately level, but that the crust should he exactly 
smoothed and fitted to the shoe. Much skill and time are necessary to 
do this perfectly with the drawing-knife. The smith has adopted a 
method of more quickly and more accurately adapting the shoe to the 
