The morning call., 1893-10-22

beyond the point of the heel Of the foot, and
heel calks should never be used on the
shoes of horses that are intended to move
faster than at walk. 1t is sometimes
necessary to raise the heels of horse a
little in order to relieve strain on the ten
doDs, but it is never desirable thing to
do. and when necessary should be done by
swelling the heel gradually from before
back, not by heel calk, which raises the
frog from the ground and deprives the foot
Of this natural and essential support. If
you want your horse to be- cOmforta BILE
and travel to the best advantage to him.
self and you, study his old, worn shoes
when they are taken off and note their pc
cularities. Then use your judgment in
ordering new ones. You can learn good
deal from an old horseshoe, despite its
apparently inf1exible texture. The upper
surface of shoe should be filed smooth
You know how your own foot feels in a
rough, hard shoe, and it would seem need
less to say that 1t should be fitted perfectly
to the surface Of the foot.
And right here word may be said regard
ing that much misunderstood and misused
system, hot fitting. AS farriery is prac-
ticed now cold fitted shoe is very apt to
be hastily and inaccurately fitted shoe.
The shoe that is fitted hot, that is, applied
to the foot while hot enough to leave its
impress and fit itself accurately in
the horn. is undoubtedly more per-
fectiy adjusted one. The operation
must be quickly and lightly per-
formed, however. lest the foot become
heated, or the Impression left be deeper on
one side than the other, causing badly
balanced hoof, and 1t is indisputably true
that. particularly in this dry climate, which
is hard on horses feet at best, the soaring
of the foot cannot but have evil effects
As between hot and cold fitting. however,
as the latter is done by the average farrier
the former is the least of two evils. 1t is
against nature. anyway, to nail iron on the
feet of a horse, and it would be difficult TO
say that hot fitting more than cold Is an
outrage against our long-enduring univer-
sal mother. There is, moreover. this to be
said, that when the shoe Is fitted hot an
accurate adjustment is made. and in cool
ing the warmed horn contracting upon the
nails holds them more securely. 1t should
however, be fitted red hot and not left
in contact with the foot for longer than a
second or two.
There are usually too many nails
used to hold a horses shoe on, and
the average journeyman uses those
that are too large. Five good nails,
properly applied, are enough. The nail
holes in the usual form of horseshoe
are TOO near the outer edge. If they were
set further in the nail could be driven at
more advantageous angle through both
wall of the foot. thus being afforded bet
ter hold and lessening the danger of frac-
turing the more brittle outer wall and
doing away with several of the nails with
which the hoof is now perforated. The
clinches under this method would come to
the surface much lower down than they
do now, and the old nail-boles could be
rasped away with the super6uous growth
of wall when new shoes are put on and
The hoof left intact. AS 1t is now 1t is
often almost impossible to find room TO
drive the new nails 80 honeycombed is the
hoOf with old nail-holes.
You should learn to know q good nail
when you see it. Never let smith put
into your horses foot q nail down the
edges of which appears a rough ridge.
They are hot-pressed and cut, and the
chances are very good for the point split
ting and one end penetrating your horses
foot. a nail should be small, smooth at
the edges as we'll as on the fiat sides, with
round, symmetrical point. Every black
smith wants to make what he calls meat
job" and to this end it is fad OF theirs,
after the shoe is on, to rasp shoe and hoof
to round, smooth. compact surface. The
effect satisfies his idea of neatness, but it
Is death to the hOof. 1t destroys the pro-
tective enamel with which nature has coy-
cred II and renders it liable to disease and
accident
There are many diseases to which our
faulty methods have rendered the feet Of the
horse liable, on most of which the average
farrier considers himself able to give adj
vice. To those who contemplate taking it
l would simply say Don't"
Mr.. Smith may tell you some day that
your horses heels are contracted and re-
quire expanding" l saw horse re-
Gently whose feet had been sawn through
quite distance at the cleft of the frog,
and wedge had been driven into the
opening with view to producing lateral
expansion" The idea had been one of
some fool blacksmith, and the animal,
according to an experienced veterinary,
was Spoiled for lfe." The only thing
to do when anything ails your horses feet
is to consult veterinary. Tinkering
with them yourself is apt to be more ex-
pensive in the end than medical advice.
Much can be done. however, by the driver
who will take the pains to prevent the feet
from becoming diseased. am not writing
these words for the benefit of profession n al
horsemen, who, if they are in any way
/ Fl - ~ Al