The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-09-18
The Horses Foot, the WAY to Shoe
it, and the Kind OF Shoes 10 Use.

To the Editor Of the Pioneer:
| have had through life an admiration
for the Horse, amounting almost to pas
sion. For fifteen years, in early life, |
occupied myself in horse shoeing, in study
ing the anatomy and diseases of the
horses foot, and in experiments upon the
best methods of keeping it sound The in
formation thus gained by practical expe-
rience, has been arrived at by others but,
while such information may be cleaned in
fragments from various works, I know of
none in which the proper manner of TAX
ing care of the horses foot and shooting it,
are plainly, practically, and succinctly set
forth. 1t is to supply this want, that l
write this communication; and if | can
furnish facts to any smith which he did
not know before, and can thus be the
means Of promoting the comfort, and pro-
longing the usefulness, of even one noble
animal, l shall be repaid for my trouble.
There are great number of diseases
Which afflict the horse, and which are at
tributed to various causes, but which are
all, directly or indirectly, produced by i'm
proper care of the animals teet, and
by bad shoeing. Of these, may be named,
contracted feet, corns in the heel, sand or
quarter cracks, gravel, thrush, springing
of the knees, and shrinking of the should
ers. These are the more common dis
eases of the horse, given in common lar
guage, as used by smiths and farriers.
These diseases are peculiar to horses that
have been shod, and are never known in
horses that have not been shod My ex-
perience in the Indian country has con-
WINGED me of this; for, OF the thousands
Of Indian ponies that l have seen, and
which are never shod, l have not met one
having either of the diseases. named.
Now, the natural shape OF the horses
foot is circular-as broad as it is long.
The frog is the life of it-supplying oil to
the wall Of the hoof, and elasticity to the
whole. 1t is of wedge-like shape, and
is connected with the outer and hard por-
tons of the foot by ligaments, which are
commonly called braces. In shooting, the
first thing usually done by the smith is to
pare this frog, and the next is to cut away
the braces which connect the frog with
the balance of the foot. The effect of
this is, first, to dry up the frog, and to
change it from spiingy, WALKING sab
stance, into dead and bony one; the
second, is, to contract the hoOf, changing
it from round to an oblong shape, and
subjecting the animal to one or another of
the diseases named. The first rule to be
observed by the smith, then, who wants to
shoe properly, is, never to touch the frog
with knife. Nature will take care of
that, and whenever the covering becomes
too thick or hard, it will scale off of itself
The second is, never to cut the sides of
the braces, for such cutting separates the
frog from the hoof, to which it furnishes
life, as l have already said. The third is,
never to open or cut out the heels, for the
substance placed there has its use to pre-
serve the shape of the foot and to prevent
it from contracting. In word, confine
your cutting and rasping to the sole and
wall of the foot, and employ these only
for the purpose Of leveling the ground
surface of the foot so that the foot will
bear naturally and equally upon the shoe.
These rules, strictly observed, will pre-
serve the foot in healthy condition; and,
the foot thus preserved, all cause for the
diseases mentioned will be obviated or re.
moved.
That is to say, if the shoe itself is prop
erly made; for, without true and well
shaped shoe, the careful preparation of