The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1897-01-26

such dictation. He need only be told
the trouble, if any there be. with the
horses gait, and if he is a mechanic
he will apply the proper remedy. Adj
vice does not come amiss TO the 'botch"
but he should be patronized only nm
der compulsion. The sheer is a spec
ialist, and learns something new con-
corning his calling almost every day
of business life in the shop. The sheer
of today, who elings TO all the methods
of twenty-five years ago, is along way
behind the procession. Within that
time such great progress has been
made that horse shoeing has become
an art. A faulty gait or stride can be
remedied, and in most cases radically
cured if the horse is taken to a sheer
who deyotes careful thought and study
to his trade, but Improvement never
comes to the horse whose feet are in
trusted TO the butchering methods of a
"botch." l believe l make a fair esti-
mate when l assert that nine-tenths of
the horse owners of the world do not
know that horse shoeing and black
smithing are two distinct trades, and
that to learn both man must serve
two distinct apprenticeships. In other
words, nine out of ten men think the
sign Blacksmith" over a shop is an
indication that there is horse sheer
within, but in the majority of cases
they are mistaken. The man who
irons a buggy, wagon or wheelbar-
row, has his square. tri-square, divi-
ders, straight-edge and other tools, by
which TO be guided in his work, but it
is not so with the horse sheer, who first
prepares the hoof properly, carries in
his eye picture of that hoof from the
horse to the anvil, and uses that pic
ture as a pattern by which to do his
work.
The term, jack of all trades and
master of none" applies very aptly to
many who conduct blacksmith shops.
l assert this fearlessly because l can
name many who never served an hours
apprenticeship at the trade but gained
their very limited experience while
| tinkering on ranch or in a LUMBER
camp. Six months at this and they
are found with sign in front of a shop
| in town or city. They cannot COM
pete successfully with mechanics. At
a given price they would get little to
do, and in order to get custom, will
work for fifty per cent. less than the
artisan, and TO the shame of many
| horse owners be it said, they are pa
tronized. a half-dollar reduction in
the price of shoeing horse catches the
average horse owner. He will jump at
it as does hungry trout at the Sc
ductive artificial fly of the angler,
and in the end is as badly worsted as
| is the fish, for at the expiration Of
three months there is not sound foot
under that horse. In these days Of
hard paved streets, mechanics skill
is required to keep the hoof of the
horse in good condition, but "botch"
can convert sound hoof into a mass
of corns, bruised heels and quarter and
toe cracks in less than three months.
It is being done simply because horse
| owners patronize those who do cheap
work.
Ny advice to all horse owners is, be-
ware of the man who soliclts work at
price less than that which you have
been having it done. He who offers
an inducement of that kind is not a
mechanic. Cheap work is a synonym
for poor work, done with poor mater
| ial, and in the end is the most expen-
sive. A horse, if worth shoeing at aIl,
is worth being shod properly. Avoid
the cheap sheer and you avoid the
botch. Take your horse to the me-
chanic who asks only a fair remunera-
ton for his work and the results will
always be satisfactory, because your
horse will be ready to respond to ev-
cry reasonable task imposed upon him.
Never say to a sheer, 4 want YOU
to drive bigger nails this time, the
shoes staid on but three months the
last time you shod him. The length
of time shoe stays on is not an evil
dence of the skill of the sheer.
Let this artisan be the judge of the
size of nail to use. The shelf of the
hoof is often thicker and stronger on a
small than on large horse, and the
sheer must use the nail best adapted
| to his work Ten small nails will 10
| less damage to brittle hoof than seven
large ones and hold equally as we'll.
Don't growl if your sheer is a mechan-
ic, when you see him driving the nails
high in a brittle hoof. He does it to
get a hold" in the youngest part of
| the shell, which is the toughest and
strongest, or TO reach above a bad
place into which it is useless to drive
nail. The SHELF or WALL of the
hoof is of uniform thickness from the
sole to within three quarters of IN
inch of the coronet and when nails are
driven high the holes can. be used a
second time.
No horse should be allowed TO wear
his shoes over thirty days. The hoof
grows, but the shoe does not, and at
the end of thirty days, if the shoe is
not worn out, the hoof has grown be-
| yond its proper bearing, and should be
reset Much of the trouble caused ~
corns is due to tina shoe being allowed
TO remain on too long.
1t does not follow that sheer is
trying to get his hand into your money
drawer when he suggests that your
horse should have new set of shoes
or the old ones reset He advises you
in your interest and for the welfare Of
the horse.