The record-union., 1899-03-08
VERY FRIENDLY,
HORsESHOER'S ART.
A Sacramentan Writes on an In
teresting Topic.


The following article from the pen OF
r. N. Johnson of Sacramento, appears
in the "Horseshoer's Journal:
With the experience of forty years, L
belive 1 ought to know something about
shoeing horses foot. l have been al
the shoeing business since the age of 10
years; I am now 50 years old, and IN
actual practice every day at the pres
ent writing. I know there has been
great deal said and written about shoe
ing the horse in my time, but for all
that there is room for more.
First, find the horses foot IS almost
like the human hand in its formation,
especially the knuckles or joints, which
sit in the hoof or box, a. covering Whcn
nature gave to protect that member
against hard knocks. You will find
the thumb and little finger represented
in the two guidebones which come up
on each side of the coffin bone, called
the coffin joint, represent the two mid
die fingers, only they are closed to-
gether with cartilage and work as
knucbles on top of the coffin bone ana
called frontal bone. So you see there
are four knuckles or joints instead OF
one coffin joint; so these bones terml-
nate at the first pastern joint or wrist
joint-if you like.
So you and I, brother craftsman,
don't need to go up any higher on the
cannon bone. But we must keep those
bones and knuckles on the center. Cen
teri-that is a queer word to use, is IL
not? But all the same, they have
center and when they get out of it you
have very lame horse. Now, broth
er. it is for you and I to keep them in
the center, by our workmanship and
skill. But, we have to work up hill
sometimes, especially when a man
yes. a man-brings you horse with the
feet worn over on one side, five de-
grees out of center, through neglect or
cruelty on his part Then you have
an uphill job, indeed.
You notice. of course, the way the
average horse is sf1od in large cities
with toe and calk, how the heel caiks
are higher than the toe caldk; well, that
has a tendency to put the coffin joint
out of center by pressing the coffin
bone too much to the toe, and vice versa
if higher on the toe and lower on the
heels. The same with fiat or plain
shoeing. If a horse is out of center,
either way. it causes the oil which ma
ture provides to oil the Joints or
knuclxles to ,gos wrong, and we have
swelling or puffed fetlocks, or pastern
Joints. When the horse stands up
after YOU have the feet pared out leveled
for fitting the shoes, stand one side and
see with the eye of a mechanic that
he stands. perfectly straight and level
and the cannon bone is plumb over the
coffin joints; keep him that way with
level shoe and he will have better
action and more freedom in travelling.
Don't cranlp him with tight or narrow
shoe Fit the shoes on and around
the shell or wall, and not fit the foot
to the shoe; for if you do, the horses
foot will be crowded inside and he can
not travel with perfect freedom.
The frog. or cushion proper. is the
oil holder. to feed the joints or knuck-
les in the she'll or box. And when the
frog ror oil holder becomes empty or
dry. you may know the joints or
knuckles are out of the center Don I
cut away the frog; don't make 1t mar
row at the heels; don't cut out the heels
either. for if you do you will have con-
traction and raising up OF the cusn-
ion or frog box inside which is the IN
ner shell or floor on which the CONN
hone sits upon with a cartlidgeouS In
ing between to keep the two from jar
ring. So by the pressing up OF the
inner floor or frog box, UP goes the
coffin bone and then you have club
or deformed foot, which is very hard
matter to bring back or down to the
proper place.
Friends and brothers of the horse
shoeing craft, I greet you, one and all
with a heartfelt joy and gladness io'
your brave and noble efforts to raise
our beautiful craft out of its ashes
like the phoenix bird, to life again py
our grand Master Horseshoers' Nation
al Protective Association. l can go 10
my grave more contented now. that we
are united together for the uplifting Oh
one of our grandest of crafts.