Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-07-31
GOOD HORSESHOERS.
Strength, Dexterity and Skill
Required.
APPRENTICES SERVE FOUR YEARS.
The Old Method of Firing, Cutting and
Liniments Practiced Very Little at
Present.

10 the casual observer nOrsesnOelnS
may seem a trade which requires little
skill, but investigation soon conyinces
that this is mistaken notion. As a
matter of fact it requires strength,
dexterity and an amount OF skill that
is surprising. An unskilled horseshoer
in custom shop could do more damage
to stock in one day than the proprie'
tors could pay for in lifetime.
In the various shops about the city
opinions differ widely as to how differ
ent classes Of work should be done and
the best-sbaped shoe for deformed or
injured hoofs, but journeymen gener-
ally agree that no one should be per-
mitted to drive nail in horses hoof
who does not thoroughly understand
its construction and fully appreciate
the responsibility that rests upon him
to keep it in good condition.
The Master Horseshoers' association
of Chicago has clause III its constitu-
tion which says that an apprentice
must serve four years before he can be
considered competent to perform the
work of foorman, or journeyman.
During that four years the boy is ''put
through the sprouts day after day
He is required to strike" shoes-that
is to remove old ones from hoofs that
are to be reshod. Then he trims the
feet but never takes away any more
of the hoof than appears dead, for the
final trimming must be left to the
journeyman who fits the shoe.
Next he must attend veterinary lec-
lures, for in these days Of scientific
horseshoeing person might spend a
lifetime almost in a horseshoeing
establishment and then not be what is
considered an up-to-date horseshoer
for the reason that he had never seen
the inside of horses hoof or heard its
formation explained, and would be lily
prepared to prescribe the kind of shoe
necessary to cure the various ailments
to which it is subject
The time has come when diseases of
the hoof are not subjected to the old
method of firing, cutting and lini-
ments, but are for the most part left to
the skill of the horseshoer, whose chief
medicine is properly shaped shoe
constructed to correct evil tendencies.
1t is maxim among professional
horseshoers that horse never goes
lame unless there is first something the
matter with the foot and that the foot
can be kept in good condition by the
proper kind of shoes. And when a
horseshoer speaks of one of his craft
he means man who works exclusively
in horseshoeing establishment
Blacksmiths who work in wagon and
carriage shops are called butchers"
by the horseshoers, and when a new
horse arrives at a custom shop with
his feet out of order almost the first
question the journeyman asks is:
"What butcher shop have you had
the beast in ?"
Most of the big corporations, such
as the street-car companies and dry
goods houses which have large num-
ber o. horses have shoeing establish
ments of their own, and while they
employ men who understand their busi-
ness and take the best of care of the
feet of the horses, the shoes are nearly
all machine made. On the contrary,
in custom shops where the man with
two or three horses has his work done,
the shoes are almost exclusively hand
turned and each one made to fit a par
ticular hoof. For this reason the
turner's. when they have nothing else
to do, make shoes to fit the hoofs of
horses owned by regular customers,
and when the horse finally comes in
the shoe is ready for him. As the
boot and shoe maker keeps the last Of
the foot of his regular patron so the
horseshoer keeps the shape of the hoofs
of his customers horses
In the custom shop special attention
is given to the class of work which
the horse is expected to perform. If
it is to haul delivery or express
wagon the shoes are made heavy in
order that they may last, but if it
wears a short tail and is to do duty on
the boulevard as "stepper" its shoes
are made light, and SO constructed as
to give ease of motion. Working on
the rule that the nearer the horse is
UO tD6 RTOuuu buo ldotoI ~ Will udNott
the shoes of PAGER or trotter are made
very light and the front shoes of differ
ent construction from those on the hind
hoofs. For this reason horse is found
with ten ounce shoes on its front hoofs
while those on it's hind hoofs may
weigh but four ounces. This construc-
tion serves doubleTpurpose. ..They
save the toes ON the front feet and pre-
vent the animal throwing its hind feet
under the shoes of the front feet and
clipping off the hoof and injuring the
coffin joint, as is often done.
For different horses and for various
reasons differently constructed shoes
are used. There are shoes known al
the toe weight, side weight, hee
weight, rolling motion. scooptoed roll
ing motion, creased shoes, stamped