The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1853-08-11
THE PIONE e Err
AaRICULTURAL.
Practice of shoeing Horses.

any in her Majesty's service.
The shoe found in use here was made
concave next to the foot, and fiat on the
ground surface, than which, in my opin-
ion, nothing could be worse. This shoe l
havehad reversed, making the latter as
concave as the foot will possibly admit of,
leaving only sufficient room between the
shoe and the foot, for the pricker to pass
freely around, to remove dirt, &c. Tothe
heels of the shoe have given an inclined
plane outwaLds on the foot surface, with
three nails on the inside and four on the
outside. The heels, instead of being cut
Oft straight. are well sloped, and about
the same thickness as the toe. The shoe,
one-third as thick at the heel as the toe,
recommended by the late professor, the
majority, of our horses could not travel
in. There are many pernicious practices
which smiths in general, if left to them
selves, fall into, viz:
= /. Mutilating the frogs byimproper cut
ting. have at length got my farriers to
understand that the only part Of the frog
which ever requires cutting, unless rag
ged, is the point, to prevent the sensible
frog being bruised between it and the cof-
fin bone.
2. Inflicting serious injury to the crust
by an improper use of the rasp, but espe-
cially the coarse side of it.
8. In fitting the shoes, by cutting too
much out of the crust at the toe to admit
the clip. The shoe is consequently set
too far back, instead of being fitted full to
the crust, and after rasping away the
crust, making the foot, in fact, to fit
the shoe, instead of the shoe to fit the foot
This is faulty practice, and very serious
ly so, which smiths i'll general are very
apt to fall into; one, too, which renders
the crust shelly, for that part into which
the nails are driven from time to time is in
this way rendered weak.
4. In turning shoes, smiths in general
. do not attend sufficiently to bevcling or
sloping the edge Of the shoe from thefoot
to the ground surface, which consider of
great Importance, especially if horses are
given to cut or interfere in their action.
s. Cutting the heels of the shoe off
straight. This is also very bad practice
If well sloped, like shoe for hunting, to
which there can be no objection, they are
less liable to be pulled off by the hind
shoe catching in them, and contribute
more to safety of both the horse and ri
der.
6. Leaving the inner edges of the hind
shoes at the toe sharp, which, if rounded,
will in great measure prevent over
reaches, as well as render the fore shoes
less liable to be pulled off by their catch
ing in the heels of the former. Squaring
the toe of the hind shoe for horses that
forge; or "carry the hammer and pincers, ;
as 1t is termed, leaving the horn project
ing over the shoe, is, in my opinion, good
as general rule, not only preventing that
unpleasant noise, but trendering horses less
liable to over reach and pull off their fore
shoes, provided, however, attention be
paid to rounding the inner edge.
z. In rasping the under part of the
clinches, farriers are apt to apply the edge
of the rasp improperly to the crust, form
ing deep groove round the same, which
cannot but be injurious to the foot, and,
together with taking away too much of
the crust in finishing off the foot, must
have a tendency to render it shelly. Cur
wing the shoe at the toe, after the French
fashion, where horses go near the aground,
| am very fond of; but cannot see any
advantage in it as a general practice
REMARKs.-We hope every shoer of
horses who reads this, will compare its
suggestions with his practice. AS is
the case with most mechanics, of this
country, there is only one in hundred
that understands his business. Itrequires
artt shoe horse properly, as well as to
make watch. There are important prin-
ciples involved in. the operation which the
. smith should study and understand. We
believe there are more horses led into
tshambling gaits, and awkward overreach-
ing and stumbling habits, by bad shoeing
than by all other causes combined. And
when the horse has acquired these habits,
he is checkreined, martingaled, and "a
bused in other abominable ways, because
he does just as his owner ought to have
: known he would do under such course
of shoeing!-N. E. Fa,mer.
ExPLANATIoH.-We have received az
anonymous reproof from some cotempora
ry who feels agrieved that portion O
his Intellectual currency, has been used il
our columns without the proper credit
The charge may be true; mistakes of tina
kind are unavoidable in the conduct of
newspaper, but the shape in which thi