MODERN II 0 R S E SHOEING. The ad vanced farriery of to day owes its excel lence to modern veter inary science; so that there is no longer ex cuse for the ignor ance which in com paratively recent times was universal, and which even to day is prevalent to some extent. Not withstanding St a t e examinations and in creased general know ledge, it is admitted that the horse's feet are unnecessarily mu tilated by wholesale cutting, regardless of the anatomy, physiology, and economic relations of the parts of the hoof. This practice is fol lowed solely ou the score of tradition; and, harmful concussion. Normally, the resilience of the frog helps to maintain the natural expansion of the hoof a vital function which is entirely destroyed by the too common use of the 'draw ing-knife.' and which converts what should he a means of protection into a source of danger. The further fault of paring down the sole, until the living structures within are almost exposed through the soft, moist. half-formed horn, which is all that the paring-knife has left, is very se verely condemned. Bad farriery and shoeing are frequently guilty of still further maiming the horse in endeavoring to improve upon nature by removing the bars, or 'opening' the heels; such a foot becomes predisposed to contraction of the heels. In the effort to use a shoe too small for great as the financial loss has been. it is little compared to the agony wide]) horses have en dured. The frog of the hoof is designed to act as a cushion which by its elasticity pro tects the other structural parts from jar and the foot the rasp is brought into play, and the foot made to fit the shoe. It is generally conceded that the outside or horny wall of the hoof. to gether with that portion of the sole which is in immediate contact with it, and upon %vhieh the shoe should rest, are the only portions \a ich re quire paring, and then not with the knife, but with the rasp. There is eonsiderable difference of opinion among authorities with regard to the various details of slowing, nil all are agreed on the barbarity as well as uselessness of the frog sole mut ilat ion already described.
Vic shoe should he as light in weight as the eircums1;inves will permit, the determining fac tors being the weight of the horse and the nature of the work it must do. The old adage that 'an ounce at the toe IN Is 1H1111111 at the withers' is undoubtedly true in essence, but a still greater handicap is the increased concussion inseparable from progression. It is not true that a heavy shoe necessarily wears longer than a light one. while it is well known that a light shoe is just as effective as a heavy one in performing its legitimate mission of preventing mobil• wear of Ilse walls of the hoof. The shoe should be made to conform exactly to the natural tread of the foot, and should be permitted on no necount to remain on for too long a time, as the truncated cone of (lie hoof, which has its base downward, constantly increases in circumferenve, so that in time the shoe becomes too small and a source of pain to the horse. Common errors in shoeing
are the employment of too many and too heavy nails, and the driving of them too high up into the walls. If shoes could he securely attached and safely worn without the use of nails much would he gained: hut although numerous alter native devices have been put on the market, the best of which fastens the shoe by means of metal bands or stubs, none has been found to lie gener ally satisfactory.
Winter shoring demands that the shoe be capable of affording foothold as well as protection against undue wear, and for this purpose shoes are made fashioned with toe and heel calks, or catkins. Care is necessary to avoid making the calks any larger than is absolutely necessary. or else serious injury may be done to the horse. 'Flue art of shoeing for specific purposes is of American origin, and is a result of the devel opment of the trotter. At first, designed to influence speed or action. shoes are now made to remedy defects, natural or acquired. due to faulty conformation or bad habits. Shoes for racers, trotters, and speed horses generally have an adaptable variety of form and principle. Among those designed to remedy defects in the hose most generally employed in the business and pleasure of the community at large may be mea t Mimi! the seoop-toed or roller-motion shoe for the fore feet and a shoe for the hind feet. de si7ried to do away with 'forging' or 'clicking.' The scooped or rolled toe hastens the action of the fore legs. and enables them to avoid being struck by the hind foot ; while the lengthening of the branches of tile hind shoes, by increasing the {_mould retards the 'breaking over' of the hind foot. A common practice to 'open' the action is to increase the outside web of the hind shoes. The faults of 'dishing' or 'paddling' are remedied by similar devices. The prineipal dis eases common to nil-fleeted or faulty shoeing will lie found treated under 11 011tir, or under their own title throughout the hook.
Thu BLIOCRA ell Y. Pitzwygrans, .Votrg on the Shoeing of Horses (London, 1463); Poi:cell, entifie Ilorarshoring for the Different Diseases of the Foot (Cincinnati, 1579) ; Richardson, The J'ruetori/ Ilorse-Shoe r (New York, I859); C. A. Schmidt, Dcr rettionulle• Int fin.sch lag (Breslau, 18921 ; Fisher, The Pei rrier (London, 1S93) ; I bir le.-here rout Ilufbesehloy (5th ed., Stuttgart, 18911) ; Lungwitz, .1 Ty.rthook of Horse sho•ing for Horseshoers and Veterinarians, trans. (Philadelphia, I(9St.