SHOEING OF HOUSES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5010, 14 April 1877, Page 2 (Supplement)

SHOEING OF HOUSES.

For whatever purpose the horse is used, the shoo should not bo too light ; because it is then liable to be bent, and becomes an insufficient covering to the foot. The web of the shoe should bo broad, and continued through the whole shoo to the heels, to give increased covering and protection to the solo of the foot. The outside of the shoe should exactly fit the crust of the hoof, thereby giving the entire foot an equal bearing on all its parts from the toe to the heel. The usual practice is to have a portion of the shoo projecting outwards, along botli the outer and inner quarters of the hoof ; and when this form of a shoo is connected with a narrowing of the web at the heel, the effect is to place the heel upon the inside line of the web, thereby producing an unequal bearing upon the ground surface of the foot. The sotting off of the shoo at the heels is a groat inconvenience to the horse when his foot sinks into the ground, and it is in this way the most of the shoos aro pulled off and lost in the ground, or trodden off with the other feet. It ia evident when the shoe fits the foot of the horse exactly, that when the foot is pulled up through the ground after sinking, the shoe must follow the foot without detriment or difficulty. The shoe should bo made sufficiently long to fully support the entire structure of the heels. The shoo should be of equal thickness throughout, and should bo carefully adapted to the foot; this we cannot urge too strongly. If the shoo does not fit perfectly level all around, and if it extends fo far outside the hoof that

the nails are prevented from entering the crust at the exact spot, and in the very direction which they should, there will be a constant straining on the nails, which is injurious to the foot, and will be liable to chip pieces off the hoof. The shoe ought to be made wide across the foot, at the point where the two front nails are situated. The greatest mistake frequently lies here. In place of turning the shoe very carefully at the toe on the horn of the anvil, everybody will remember having seen how the smith generally sets it up on its side, and then strikes it with his hammer. The consequence of this is, the shoe generally yields at the centre of the arch, and, instead of being nicely and regularly rounded in front, whilst the breadth from side to side is preserved, the nail-holes on each side are brought nearer to the centre of the shoe than they ought to be. As a necessary result, the shoe, at the front nail-holes, is too narrow for the hoof, and when it is nailed on the crust presses injuriously on the internal, sensitive parts of the foot. It is difficult to convince the smith of the possibility of laming a horse by having the shoe too narrow in front. They generally think the whole difficulty lies about the heels. The advantage or disadvantage of having calkins either on the fore or on the hind shoes, or on both, will vary in different cases. But there should be no difference, under any pretence whatever, between the outer and inner heel of the same shoe, in point of elevation. We know that a difference is frequently made for the purpose of preventing brushing, or, probably, for some imaginary reason ; but it is highly improper, because, in the long run, it will be sure to induce lameness in the leg in consequence of the weight of the body being thrown more on the one side of the joint than on the other. It is just as barbarous and injudicious to shoe a horse on this plan as it would be to oblige a man to walk in a boot with one side of the heel double the thickness of the other. However, our interposition on behalf of humanity to the contrary, the notion will likely prevail that one side of the horse’s shoe must be made higher than the other in order to prevent brushing (interfering 01 cutting) ; so, as it has to be done, it should be made in such a manner as to be at least of practical utility. We may, and can, in many cases, effectually prevent a horse cutting by using bevelled shoes ; but this is not always to be trusted. We only prevent by this the sharp edge of the shoe coming in contact with the standing leg, which would otherwise be wounded by it. There are many horses that would still hit if they had no shoes on them, and, if we could cut half the hoof away, they would still interfere. It is the position in which the standing leg is placed by nature, and the direction of the moving or passing leg, that produces the failing. We cannot alter nature ; we can only bring art to remedy to a certain degree the natural defect. Smiths are very apt, on being told, or seeing, that a horse cuts, to shoe him “thickheeled,” as it is termed, on the inside, or to make his shoe altogether thicker on the inside than on the out. They tell you that by this mode they turn or twist the ankle further out of the way of the passing leg. This is true ; but they are not aware that by removing the ankle of the standing leg—say an inch further out of the way—they bring the passing leg. three inches nearer the standing one. To show the effect of this, let anyone place a bit of wood an inch thick under the inside of the tread of his shoe ; if he does this by the right foot, he will find his body thrown out of equilibrium to the right. Let him, in this position, attempt to pass his left leg by the other ; he will find it inclined to touch the standing leg. Now let him remove the piece of wood, and place it under his right foot, on the outside of his tread ; he will find, though it may bring his ankle nearer the left leg, that leg in passing will be some inches away from it. His body is thrown out of equilibrium to the left ; the left leg follows the body, and, try as he will, he will find he cannot bring it, in passing, close to the right standing leg.

No shoe should ever be Bailed to the foot until it has been ascertained that the pressure of the hands is sufficient to keep it steadily in its place, and preclude any appearance of daylight between it and the foot. A notion prevails in many places that the shoe gives the particular form to the foot. This is a mistake, for no foot can possibly be affected by any form of shoe it may stand upon. It is the situation of the nails which alters the form of the foot, by preventing its expansion, and such prevention of expansion is the cause of much of the lameness affecting the foot. In putting on the shoe, the nails should be driven with a gentle hand, and they ought not by any means to be clenched very tight. Hard driving and tight clenching will bend the hoof, and the place where the clenches are turned, inwards and downwards towards the shoe, in such a manner as to injure the tender parts contained within the cavity of the foot. Besides, it is not necessary for a man to forget he is working with the foot of a living animal. The shoe will remain on a sufficient length of time with gentle driving and clenching, provided it is properly fitted to the foot. If it has a thoroughly even bearing there will be little stress on the nails. Coarse nails often split the hoof, and thus keep it continually broken. A fine nail will answer all the purposes required, if it is made of the right material. The clenches should not be rasped away too fine, nor should the covering of the hoof be allowed to be rasped away (as nearly every smith seems to delight in doing) ; it destroys the covering provided by nature as a protection against the too rapid evaporation of the moisture of the hoof, and causes the horn to become dry and brittle. In connection with the application of the shoe, we know of no worse fashion than the one which the smith has of forcibly taking hold with the thong and hammering the shoe to the one side or the other, after three or four nails have been driven for the purpose of putting it straight on the foot. This is a speedy method of making up for his want of accuracy in placing it at first; but it should never be practised. It strains all the nails which have already been driven, and is calculated to do serious damage to the hoof. In assisting horses in drawing heavyweights up hill, a very good deal may be done in a way that is very little attended to—namely, by a proper hind shoe. No doubt many of our readers, when riding on a load and going up hill, have noticed the twisting of their horses’ hocks, and indeed the whole leg, from side to side. This chiefly arises from the bad form of the shoe. It is quite clear that in going up steep hills, the toe of the hind foot takes the first bearing on the ground ; indeed, some horses, on these occasions, hardly press it with the heel at all. It must be quite evident that the greater expanse of bearing we give a foot on the earth, the firmer must be the tread ; and as the hind foot is the great fulcrum by which a horse gets up hill with a load, too much attention cannot be given to effect the firmest hold for it. The toes of hind shoes are very generally made round, or nearly so ; the consequence is, the horse’s toe comes to the ground on a very small segment of a circle—in fact, on a pivot—the effect of which is, the foot turns to the right and left, and the legs and hocks naturally follow the turn of the foot; this, of course, produces the twisting of the hocks alluded to, and the legs not being kept straight, the horse loses a large portion of his powers ; spavins, curbs, thorough pins, and strained ligaments and tendons are the future consequences, and fatigue the piesent one. For horses that have to work hard on hilly roads, or in a hilly country, hind shoes should be made square at the toe to the very extreme verge of the foot. It then comes to the ground with from two inches to two inches and a-half of firm hold ; whereas, in many instances, it has not over an inch. —National Live Stock Journal,