The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1883-01-18
Directions Tor shoaine Horsss.
For the CITIZEN.

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Hess blow they frequently stop tn
working of this machine. The ma
jority of smiths, as soon as the,
pick up horses foot, go to parin:
the heel, because it is the most con
venient part of the foot, and there
by destroy the heel and brace of tn,
foot, causing, in many instances
contracted heels. The heels of 8
horse should be well kept up and
the toe down. BY lowering the
heels you throw the entire weight OF
your horse upon the back tendons
of the legs, and thereby produce
lameness from overtaxing them.
BY keeping up the heels you throw
the weight upon wall of the foot.
In this position you prevent STUN
bling, clicking, &c. Next, the
shoer commences to pare away the
sole, thins it down until he can feel
it spring with his thumbs. Ask
him why he does this and he gives
you no reason, except that it is the
custom. Next comes the bars or
braces of the foot-they are
smoothed down. Next in his ruiz
nous course comes the frogs of the
feet. They are subjected to the
same cutting and smoothing pro-
cess. All the cutting, pairing and
smoothing of the soles, bars, or
frogs is a decided injury to the
horse Is well as to the owner.
All the corns in the land are pro-
ddced by this process of pairing.
The frogs were placed in the foot by
nature to expand the wall of the
foot, and as soon as you commence
to cut it, the oily substance com
mences to leak out, it drys- up,
becomes hard, loosing its oily sub
stance, makes the wall hard and
dry, inducing it to crack. The
nerves of the feet are very sensi-
tive and smiths should be very
careful not to prick the foot, as it
,equires quite a time to relieve
them. The foot is a very compli-
Gated piece of machinery, and if
you keep horse well shod and his
foot in good condition, you can
then generally manage the balance.
The feet suffer from being kept too
dry, Horses that stand on board
floors should have their feet wet ev
cry day or there should be a vat
five or six inches deep, and five or
six feet long and three wide; filled
with water and clay, in which each
horse can stand for one hour per
week, unless his feet are feverish,
and then he should be kept in it an
hour per day, or until the fever sub
sides. Another source of injury to
horses feet is the habit of patroniz
ing cheap blacksmiths. If a man
can drive a nail he then sets up a
sign as a farrler or veterinary
surgeon, when in fact he knows
Of the anatomy of the
horses foot, not having spent any
time or money in acq firing the nee
essary information. He can af-
ford to shoe few shillings cheap
er than a well-informed man. But
the patrons of such cheap shoeing
are generally the sufferers. All
horse shoers should be well skilled
as veterinary surgeons; or there
should be a skillful surgeon at
5ached to every shop. Another
source of poor shoeing and injury
s the loss of elasticity of the frog.
Refusing to perform its.proper func-
lions, the heel contracts, the foot
rolls, and you have lame horse for
zen or twelve months; for it re
luires this long to relieve horses
suffering from being badly shod.
Under such circumstances, the first
hing that touches the road or the
1oor of the stall should be the
frog, and the wall of the foot
should be kept cut so as not to
prevent it from touching at every
step. No man horse owner should
ever allow a blacksmith to cut the
soles, bars or frogs of his horses
feet. Nature has adapted the
frogs to all description of roads,
climates and weather, without be-
ing pared. So many no ses have
been ruined by this process of par
ing, that there should be several es
in this country where
they could manufacture India rub
Der pads to supply the wasted
frogs that are pared away. The
frog is insensible to pressure and
you may place the whole weight of
your horse on the frog and he will
suffer no inconvenience. BY throw
ing the weight upon the frog, you
force it up between the walls. 1t
acts as a wedge and soon relieves
the contracted feet. Smiths should
never have their shoes hot when
fitting them, as the application of
hot iron extracts the oily substance
from the hoof. The amount of cru
ell punishment inflicted on horses
by cross-grained blacksmiths is an
other source Of poor shoeing, for as
soon as the horse does not stand
the smith gets angry, commences
whipping and Jerking and hallow
ing or quarreling at the. animal,
which only increases his terror, so
that he soon refuses to enter the
shop If he can avoid it. 1t is natu-
raj for horses to dislike to be shod,
because the hammering shocks the
nervous system, until they are kind
ly handled and made accustomed
to it. He should gently be. taught
to stand, and his feet well and Of
ten handled at home before he is
ever brought to the shop. You
then save the horse getting a pound
ing by the smith, and the smith an
immense amount of labor and time
that he never gets any pay for, for
no man ever thinks of paying any
thing extra for shoeing a bad
horse. The wall of the foot should
never be rasped above the nail
holes and as li%le below the
selenches as possible. All the rasp-
ing and filing but tends to thin and
weaken the wall by cutting the fl
bers of the foot.
/ will write no more at present.
You wished every one to write
something to the CITIZEN that
is of some use to the public.
think the above will be if s7ell stud
led. Yours with respect,
WIN. V. HARTsELL.
Something in the Bed.
Judge Pitman has a habit O