2j' 14 F A u R 
and cracks. The common (hoe,.when applied after tljis inju¬ 
dicious paring, acts on the lower edge of the cruft in the 
manner of a vice ; and, as the continual growth of that 
Jubilance' proceeds obliquely outwards, the fhoe becomes 
too flit all in the courfe of A month : on this account the 
outer edge of the fhoe foon comes to reft on the foie, in- 
ft'ead of the cruft, and hence produces inflammation. 
Though the expanfive power of the cruft overcomes the 
refinance of 1 'hr fhoe-nails to.its-growth, yet they have a 
powerful 'effect in diminifhing it ; and, in procefs of time, 
the heels become more or lefs contracted. The hoof, n :- 
turally circular, then begins tq put on the unnatural ob¬ 
long figure. 
In the practice of flioeing horfes, now’ purfued at the 
veterinary college of London, the following is the mode: 
the firft thing attended'to, is to take away a portion of the 
foie, between the whole length of the bars and cruft, with 
a'drawing knife. The heels of the foie, as before ob- 
ferved, cannot receive t^e preffure of the flioe without 
producing corns. To avoid prefliire, the foie fhould be 
made concave or hollow, and not allow ed to be in contact 
w ith the fhoe. If there be anv one part of the practice of 
Jhoeing more important than the reft, it is this removal 
of the foie, between the bars and cruft. When this ope¬ 
ration is performed, the horfe will always be free from 
corns, whatever may be the form of the fhoe ; but, if the 
foie is futfered to be flat at the heels, and prelfed upon 
bv the flioe, it is of very little importance what kind of 
fhoe is applied. Every groom, and every fmith, is fully 
convinced that the foie will nor bear p re flu re ; and to pre¬ 
vent t hi s eft'eft they remove the who!? of the bars, by 
opening the heels, and applying a concave flioe. We 
have endeavoured to prove, that the deftruCtion of the 
bar is always improper ; that this practice is the remote 
caufe of corns, the very difeafe which it is intended to 
prevent ; and that the bars are very necedltry to preferve 
the circular form of the hoof. Befides this, the heels of 
the flioe fhould be made to reft on the junction of the bars 
with the cruft ; but if the bars are removed, then the 
fhoe is fupported by the cruft only, and not by the folid 
broad balls of cruft and bars united. 
After the hoof has been cut, and properly prepared, 
then it becomes requifite to apply a flioe, and to vary its 
length, breadth, and thicknefs, at the heel, fur faces, &c. 
according to the hoof; but farriers fhould never be buf¬ 
fered to lay on a hot flioe. If the heels of the fore feet are 
two inches and a half, or more, in depth, the frog found, 
and prominent, and the ground dry, then only the toe of 
the hoof requires to be fhortened, and afterwards protected 
by a fitort fhoe. This fhoe is made of the ufual thicknefs 
at the toe, but gradually thinner towards the heel, as 
fhe_wn at fig. 9, in the engraving. A common fize fuddle- 
liorfe flioe may be about three-eighths of an inch thick 
at the toe, and one-eighth at the heel. The intention of 
this fhoe is to bring tlie frog completely into contact with 
preffure, to expand the heels, to prevent corns, and 
thrufhes, and canker; and if the flioe be Steeled in front, 
and put on when the ground is dry, in tlie month of May 
or June,jt may be continued the whole fummer; and in 
■warm climates, where the ground is not fubjeCt to mOif- 
ture, no ether protection for the hoof is requifite. 
The beft form for the external furface of the flioe, Mr. 
Coleman thinks, is a regular concavity ; that is, .the com¬ 
mon fhoe reverfed. lie advifes to nail the flioe all round 
the toe of the cruft, and to preferve tlie greater part of 
the quarters free from nails. The head of the, nail pre¬ 
ferred by him is in the form of a wedge, which, when 
thoroughly hammered,-becomes firmly connected with 
the nail-hole, fo as to form part of the flioe. When the 
head of the common nail is worn out, on the contrary, 
the flioe is apt to become lool'e. It has been obferved, 
that by placing the nails principally in the quarters, tiiey 
prove a conllderableobltacle to the expanfion of the heels, 
and as the cruft is generally much thinner at the quarters 
tlian at the toe, the fenfible parts are more liable to be 
I E R Y. 
wounded ; but this dees not apply to the hind feet, in. 
which the cruft of the quarters is generally thicker than 
that of the toe. But it mult be obferved, that in firft 
preparing a horfe for this new mode of (hoeing, even if 
he has a good and found foot, yet if he lias worn fho'es_ 
that are very thick, or turned up at the heels, particu¬ 
larly if at the fame time the cruft at the heels has been 
buffered to grow fo high that the frog is kept.at a confi- 
derab’e diftance from the ground, it would be very im¬ 
proper to reduce the heels fuddenly,' fo as to allow the 
frog all at once to receive great prefliire ; the back finew's 
would in that cafe be injured, and lamenefs might enfue. 
In feet of this defeription it is necelfary to remove from 
the toe all that can be none without expofing cite part too 
much, and to lower the heels gradually ; the foe of the 
flioe fhould in this cafe be made rather thin, and of the' 
bell fteel. 
The fhoes for draught horfes fhould be made flat oh 
both fuVfaces, provided'tlie foie is of a proper form and 
thicknefs; but if it be flat or convex, and. ccnfequently' 
too thin, it is ufually called a, pumice foot. , which often 
occurs in draft horfes, and in this cafe a different flioe is' 
requifite, If we confider that, when a horfe is drawing a 
heavy load, nor only his own weight, but great part of 
that which he is drawing alfo, is thrown ultimately upon 
his feet ; and as the fore feet f’upport by far the greateft 
fliare, it is net at all aflonifiling that t he cruft fhould fome- 
timesgive way ; for though it pofiefies fufficient (Length 
for the purpofes of the animal in a (late of nature, yet that 
flrength is not always adequate to the heavy burthens 
which the cruft lias thus to fuftain. When the foie be¬ 
comes fiat or convex, it is often rendered fo thin, as to 
yield eafily to tiie prefliire of the finger; the foie in this 
flate is of courfe incapable of'affording fufficient protec¬ 
tion to the fenfible foot, which is then clofely in contact 
with it; and if it be expofed to exceflive preffure, lame- 
nefs mu ft be the confequence. It isalmoft f'uperfluous to 
o'bferve that the flat fhoe would be ill adapted to a foot 
of this defeription ; it becomes necelfary in this cafe to 
apply one that is concave on its internal furface, and of 
fufficient width to p rote (ft the foie as much as can be done 
from the preffure of hard fubftances or Hones. In the en- , 
graving, at fig. 10, this flioe is reprefented, in which it 
may be obferved, that, although the internal furface is 
concave, Hill there is a flat furface for the cruft to bear 
upon. For horfes with tender heels or corns, &c. the 
bar flioe, at fig. 11, is recommended. 
Horfes are very liable to ftrike.oiie leg with the oppo- 
fite hoof; this accident is termed cutting. The part molt 
frequently trailed, is, the fide of tlie fetlock joint. 
Where the toe of the hoof is turned out, the inner quar¬ 
ters of the flioe or hoof are more frequently the parts that 
do the mi(chief: but w hen the toe is turned in, the in¬ 
jury is done by tlie anterior part of the flioe. If the toe 
is turned out, the inner quarter of the cruft is mod fre¬ 
quently lower than the outer. This condition of the hoof 
neceffarily inclines the fetlock joint of the foot that flip- 
ports the weight nearer to the foot in motion. Farriers 
generally attend to the hoof that cuts, and not to the hoof 
of the injured leg: but while the leg is in the air, no flioe 
can alter its direction ; and the final 1 quantity of horn, 
or iron, that can be removed from the hoof and fhoe, 
very rarely prevents cutting. But it is very practicable 
to alter the pofition of the leg, that lupports the animal ; 
and thus the foot in motion may undue the fame direction 
without being liable to cut. The outer quarter of the 
cruft fhould be lowered, and the inner quarter preferved. 
This operation will tend to make the bottom of the hoof 
the reverie of its former Rate, that is,, the infide quarter 
higher than the outfide, and this will throw the fetlock 
joints farther from each other ; for'their too nearapproxi- 
niation is tIte only caufe of cutting. Where the foie is 
thin, very little ofthe cruft can be removed from the out- 
flde ; and then it will be necelfary to attend to the (hoe. 
The inner quarter fhould be- thickened, and ilie outer 
quarter 
