The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-09-02
The Horses HOOf-HOW to Preserve It.

The horses hoof necessarily sees the
hardest service of any portion of his
structure and is the only part that can
be mutilated by cutting and burning, as
is the common practice. by men calling
themselves shoers, and by mails made too
large and driven too deep Every horse
owner of experience will, when he has
occasion for the first time to have a colt
shod, select a smith who will do as the
owner directs, and not follow the prac-
tice generally in vogue in times past, and
still too commonly practiced. 1t is prob
able that outside of the farm, more horses
are defective in the feet than in any
other part. This comes from the COM
bined influences of hard usage and mu-
tilation in shoeing. Largely from the
latter, because hoof properly trimmed
and shod will stand an extraordinary
amount of contact, however rough, with
every sort of pavement in use.
1t is within the power of the farmer to
breed horses with properlyformed hoofs,
and equally his powerto preserve these
in proper form, by seeing that they are
kept in the shape that Nature gave them.
If a flat-footed sire or dam is bred from,
then, of course, the penalty is incurred
of having pretty good soft ground hoof,
but in no wise such a one as will stand
use upon hard roads and paved streets.
The young horse on whom is bred
roperly-shaped foot, goes to the smith
for the first time, carrying wide heel,
smooth outer surface, and a sharp ring
at the outer circle below. The man who
is well informed as to the foot, goes to
the average smith the first time with a
feeling of dread
A properly formed hoof, on the we'll
bred colt, is straight from the top down
wards, and has exactly the circular form
that should be maintained the shoe in
every case being fitted to the foot, and
not, as is the practice with the average
smith, who cuts and rasps the hoof to
fit the shoe. With the botch, it is much
easier to do the latter than the former,
for when the shoe is once made fast, il
is but the work of moment to cut away
and rasp down the projecting rim OF
horny structure.
The forward portion of the hoof is
firm, and somewhat thick, as compared
to the lamina at the heel, and cuts much
harder. Hence it is easier for the smith
to pare down the heel at the bottom of
the foot than to cut away the toe in like
manner.
The directions should be, to cut, with
a sharp buttress, from the bottom of the
hoof, till it is of the right depth from
top downwards. At this stage of the
cutting, the hoof will assume the circular
form, and to this form the shoe should
be accurately fitted-so accurately, that
no rim of hoof will project beyond the
shoe-at any rate, not more than an
eighth of an inch, except where, as is
often the case, a point of hoof on one
side projects further than the opposite
side, in which case the foot requires to
be made true.
The nails for a well bred horse, having
a tough hoof, should be considerably less
in size than are proper to be used on a
draft-horse; and in the case of the former
they should not extend upwards into the
hoof more than five-eig hths of an inch.
For the horse of medium size and the
heavy draft-hOrse three-fourths to seven
eighths of an inch will be admissible. The
face of the hoof should under no pre-
tence be rasped or filed, neither should
any smith be allowed to hold hot shoe
to the bottom of the foot. The surface
remains, as in the unshod colt, elastic.
through the oil and moisture furnished
to it. But when rasped, this escapes.
and the foot becomes brittle and liable
to fever. The burning of the bottom of
the hoof is barbarous, and destructiveto
the tissues. -NatiOnaL Lice Stock Jour
nal.