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diff --git a/old/66089-0.txt b/old/66089-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index a82d7a8..0000000 --- a/old/66089-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2709 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Balancing and Shoeing Trotting and Pacing -Horses, by Wm. J. Moore - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Balancing and Shoeing Trotting and Pacing Horses - -Author: Wm. J. Moore - -Release Date: August 19, 2021 [eBook #66089] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team - at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - generously made available by The Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BALANCING AND SHOEING TROTTING AND -PACING HORSES *** - - - - - BALANCING and SHOEING - TROTTING and PACING HORSES - - - By - WM. J. MOORE - - Allen Farm, Pittsfield, Mass. - - NEW ENGLAND’S GREATEST NURSERY OF SPEED - - CLEVELAND, OHIO - PRESS OF THE JUDSON PRINTING COMPANY - 1916 - - - - - _Copyright 1916, by Wm. J. Moore_ - -[Illustration: - - ALLEN FARM BLACKSMITH SHOP—KREMLIN 2:07¾, AGE 29. - - ROBT. SHANKLAND W. J. MOORE - -] - - - - - A TREATISE - - —ON— - - THE ART OF SHOEING HORSES - - - - - INTRODUCTION. - - -This is a plain, unvarnished and practical treatise on the art of -balancing and shoeing trotting and pacing horses, unclouded by little -known technical and scientific words and phrases, but written by the -author, WM. J. MOORE, in his own every day words that can be easily -understood by any horseman. - -Mr. Moore, who has spent his life in the business of horse shoeing, was -born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1865, and later had charge of the Horse -Shoeing Department of the Allen Farm at Pittsfield, Massachusetts, for a -period of over twenty years, and he is still so engaged at Allen Farm. - -Mr. Moore’s experience as a horse shoer dates from the time when he -commenced work in a horse shoeing shop as an apprentice, at the age of -16 years. Since which time horse shoeing has been his sole occupation. - -During this period of 35 years Mr. Moore has shod many noted trotting -and pacing horses, and his long, varied and successful experience -justifies the belief that no one is better qualified to write on this -subject, and to offer advice in regard to it, than is he, and it is also -the belief of those best qualified to judge, that no work of this sort, -heretofore written, is more entitled to the confidence of, and -acceptance by, the people who own trotting and pacing horses, for -whatever purpose they may be used. - -With this short preamble in the way of an introduction, we will let Mr. -Moore tell his readers in his own words and in his own way how to shoe a -trotter or a pacer, so that it may do its best work in the easiest way, -and for the greatest benefit to its owner. - - W. R. ALLEN, - Pittsfield, Massachusetts. - - June, 1916. - - - - - INDEX - - - Page - - I. Foals 1 - - II. Preparing the Foot 3 - - III. A Trotter Inclined to Singlefoot and Pace 6 - - IV. Causes of Rough Gait 7 - - V. Shin hitting in Front 8 - - VI. To Prevent Winging in 8 - - VII. Shin hitting Behind 9 - - VIII. Knee and Arm Hitting 10 - - IX. Shoeing a Knee knocker 12 - - X. A Bad Hitter 13 - - XI. A Hitting Pacer 14 - - XII. Elbow Hitting 15 - - XIII. An Unusual Case 17 - - XIV. Paddling 17 - - XV. To Prevent Paddling 19 - - XVI. Hitching, Hopping and Running Behind 19 - - XVII. Forging 21 - - XVIII. Scalping 23 - - XIX. Remedy for Scalping 23 - - XX. Sideweights 25 - - XXI. Wheel Swinging 26 - - XXII. Knuckling Over 27 - - XXIII. Stumbling 27 - - XXIV. Speedy Cutting 28 - - XXV. A Bad One 30 - - XXVI. Gaiting Colts 31 - - XXVII. Neglected Hind Feet 35 - - XXVIII. Knee Action 37 - - XXIX. Slow Get Away, Fast Finish 37 - - XXX. To Convert a Pacer 39 - - XXXI. Converting a Trotter 40 - - XXXII. Contracted Heels 41 - - XXXIII. Cause of Contracted Heels 43 - - XXXIV. Corns 43 - - XXXV. Toe Crack 44 - - XXXVI. Quartercrack 44 - - XXXVII. Dished Toe 46 - - XXXVIII. Concussion 46 - - XXXIX. Founder 48 - - XL. Cross-firing Pacers 49 - - XLI. Important Note 50 - - XLII. Level Feet 52 - - XLIII. Pulling on One Line 54 - - XLIV. A Judge of Gait 55 - - XLV. Bar Shoes 55 - - XLVI. Slipping 57 - - XLVII. Sideweight Shoes 58 - - XLVIII. Toeweight Shoes 59 - - XLIX. Pocket Weights 60 - - L. Interfering 60 - - Conclusion 63 - - - - - THE ART OF SHOEING HORSES. - - -There is something in the foot of the horse that has been a mystery to -many who have been unable to find out the secrets by reading some of the -books that have been printed on the different subjects, and -experimenting on the same, pertaining to a perfect balance of the -trotter and pacer when in action. - -I have shod all kinds of horses and have come in contact with all kinds -of feet, and with the results gotten by practical experiments, I will -try to enlighten my readers and the lovers of the light-harness horse. - - - - - I. FOALS. - - -The feet of the suckling foal should be properly fixed every four or -five weeks. After the foal is eight or nine weeks old his feet need -fixing regularly. To fix the feet on the young foal shorten the toes as -much as the foot will stand without making the foot tender, and then -rasp the quarters down to a level with the frog, or a little lower than -the top of the frog will be better, then round the sharp edges of foot -off so as the foal will not cut his legs with the sharp edges and the -job is completed. Do not cut out the bars, or the sole, or the frog. Now -if you have noticed that a foal stands toeing out, leave the inside of -the toe of that foot a little the longest from the coronet, an eighth or -three-sixteenths of an inch will be a benefit to the foot, also to the -line of action later on, and if the foal toes in, leave the outside of -the toe the longest, as it will help to straighten matters in the line -of action. - -In fixing the foal’s feet it is very good to rasp the quarters and heels -low enough so as to give a slight frog pressure when the foot comes in -contact with the ground. Frog pressure assists expansion and prevents -contraction; a short natural foot with a slight frog pressure during the -first and second year is one of the surest ways to prevent a bad gait or -a _ruptured tendon_, in later years. Young foals should have their feet -picked out two or three times a week to ventilate around the frog, -because the filth that usually gets lodged around there will be almost -sure to cause heat, and in consequence a diseased frog, which perishes -away and allows the heels to contract. A contracted foot is a very bad -thing and causes trouble in more ways than one. If the feet on foals are -left to grow too long, the inside heels will cave in or become -contracted from the position they rest on them while grazing. To prevent -this keep them cut down, if not you will have to use hoof expanders to -get the foot back to its natural position. - -One of the most important factors in keeping the feet on sucklings, -weanlings and yearlings in proper condition as is specified in this -article is to see that you are keeping the leg in the middle of the -foot, otherwise many a good horse suffers, as the concussion and strain -is not equally distributed on both sides of the foot when in action. If -the feet on sucklings, weanlings, yearlings and two-year-olds are kept -properly fixed, quarters and heels kept low enough so as to receive a -slight frog pressure, this means at the proper angle, you will not have -any elbow hitters and very few knee-knockers. If you have a yearling -that hits his knees you have not kept his legs in the middle of his feet -by keeping his heels and quarters rasped down, which will make it easier -to prevent winging into his knees than if he had a contracted inside -quarter, which is the case when neglected. - - - - - II. PREPARING THE FOOT FOR THE SHOE. - - -To fix feet is the most important part of shoeing the horse. In fixing -the foot, the first thing to take into consideration is, what sort of -work are you fixing the foot for, is it for a draft horse, a road horse, -or a trotter or a pacer? Does the horse wing, paddle, speedy-cut or -cross-fire, does he hit his ankles, shins, knees, arms, hocks, or -elbows? Is his action too high or too low? Is he too long or too short -gaited? Is he striding longer with one leg than another? - -If you go to work and cut the feet down without taking some of these -faulty things into consideration you are liable to get his feet just to -the reverse way to what they should be, and place him in an -uncomfortable position instead of a comfortable one. In preparing the -bottom of a horse’s foot you must bear in mind that the foot can be -fixed to straighten out different kinds of faulty action, and if you -have not learned it by a close study of experimenting or by being taught -by some one that knew all the different ways of balancing a foot on the -leg to correct faulty action, then to learn this you will have to have -it explained to you and you should see the job executed, see it done, -and then go and see the results obtained, while the horse is in action. -Then you will know that something is accomplished by scientifically -fixing the feet to correct faulty action; you have to show people -nowadays. - -Why I say that fixing the feet is the most important part of shoeing, -and the most difficult to get done, is because the farriers that can -level and balance feet of rough gaited trotters and pacers to assist -nature in correcting faulty action are very scarce, some of them cannot -think long enough while cutting with the rasp and knife, and the first -thing you know they have cut one side of the foot too low and are not -able to cut the opposite side on a level to the side that was cut wrong. - -Now to fix the feet of a horse whether front or hind, begin with the -foot first that looks to be the highest at the heels, because if you -should start to fix two feet and one foot is a good deal lower at the -heels than the other you cannot cut the heels of the foot that are the -highest low enough to place the foot at the same angle with its mate, if -you had fixed the foot that had the lowest heels first. - -A good rule in fixing feet, and you will find it true nine times out of -ten, is, when fixing _front feet_, always cut the _outside_ from toe to -heel down _first_, unless you are shoeing a _paddler_, then cut the -inside of the foot down to a level to correspond with the outside that -was fixed first. The reason for fixing feet in this manner, is, if you -should cut the inside down first chances are you would not be able to -cut the outside to a level with the inside, for you will cut to the -sensitive part, on the outside of a front foot, quicker than the inside, -and it is just to the reverse with hind feet. The front feet should not -be left high on the outside, unless the horse is a _paddling gaited -one_, for it creates friction, or a strain on landing and leaving the -ground, it also helps to create faulty action. Nearly all the hard shin, -knee and arm hitters I have come in contact with, their front feet were -highest on the outside, low on inside, or a contracted inside quarter, -and sometimes a very badly contracted inside quarter at that. To fix -front feet of trotters and pacers for different purposes or ways of -going you can refer to the index on the different subjects in this book. - -There is very little attention paid to the hind feet. They try to get -them the same length and angle, but there are very _few hind feet_ -properly fixed to control a perfect line of action, to lengthen or -shorten the stride, to close or widen the action or to elevate or lower -the action. There are very few floormen that can level and balance a -hind foot. In preparing it for a shoe to correct faulty action, the -majority of them do not know how to hold the leg to look at the bottom -of the foot to tell which side is highest. They should keep in mind -while fixing the foot, the results they are trying to get; if they do -not, they are liable to get the foot too low on one side or the other. A -hind foot that is left the highest on the inside is a dangerous weapon -to a trotter or pacer; it will cause injury to ankle ligaments and to -bones of the foot. In the majority of cases the angle of a hind foot -should be several degrees shorter than the angle of the front feet. A -hind foot that is left the highest on the inside on a trotter or pacer -will have a tendency to close up the line of action of the hind leg and -create cross-firing and shin, hock, ankle and pastern hitting. As the -coffin or pedal bone of a horse’s foot is symmetrical in shape, it is -not proper to have wings of abnormal growth more on one side of the foot -than on the other, for this constitutes an unbalanced foot. If it -measures more on one side of the foot than on the other, from the center -of the frog, make both sides alike, to balance up matters and to conform -with the shape of the coffin bone inside; if the toe of one foot is -longer than that of the other it creates a longer leverage to leave the -ground from, therefore the stride of that leg would naturally be a -little longer, everything else being equal. If the heels of one foot are -left higher than those of its mate, the stride would be a little shorter -and the jar or concussion greater. A good rule in fixing _hind_ feet is, -always cut or rasp the _inside_ of foot down _first_, because you can -always get the outside of a hind foot cut down to the level of the -inside. A foot should be fixed so that the leg will be kept in the -middle of the foot. If the foot has a contracted quarter, one side or -the other, you cannot do it until the contracted quarter is expanded, -which is easily done (see article on contracted feet). It is difficult -to fix feet to suit the leg, and line of action, and also some people’s -eye, all at the same time. The frog of the horse’s foot should never be -cut, if it is in a healthy state. A diseased frog that has loose -fragments hanging to it may be trimmed off so as not to be holding -filth. Never cut the _heels open_ with a knife or rasp to make the foot -look wider across the heels, a practice that has long existed with some -people. It is unnatural, it helps to contract the heels, and shortens -the bearing surface from toe to heel. Any one that does this is -dangerous. Trimming out the frog, opening the heels with the knife, -cutting out the bars, and too much of the sole, will give you a -hoofbound and contracted sore-footed horse, it will help to shorten up -his gait and sometimes make him rough gaited. Feet of this kind cannot -stand the jar or concussion that feet can that have been properly -treated. - - - - - III. A TROTTER INCLINED TO SINGLEFOOT AND PACE. - - -The first thing to do is to change the angle of his front feet to a -longer one by rasping the quarters and heels down several degrees, do -not take anything off the toes. The hind feet should be in length and -angle nearly the same as the front feet, perhaps an eighth of an inch -shorter at the toe, and within 3 degrees of the same angle. The second -thing is to add about 3 or 4 ounces more weight to the front shoes, and -a little more if needed, after you have tried the former. If the horse -carries a toe weight put it on also. The third thing to do is to put -calks on the hind shoes, toe and heel, using as light a shoe as -possible. The fourth thing to do is to allow the animal to go as _low -headed_ as possible, this is _very important_. The changes in the -footing of different tracks will sometimes cause a horse to become all -unbalanced. Slipping is very bad for a horse when at speed; it -unbalances the action and creates muscle soreness, and the poor animal -is made to suffer torture by some of the drivers or trainers, because -the animal does not perform as well on a track that don’t suit the -shoeing as he did on a previous occasion that did suit, the same way -shod. I must say in reference to trotters that are inclined to -singlefoot and pace that in fixing the hind feet I would prefer to get -the angle of the hind feet as near to the angle of the front feet as -possible, because it helps to confine them to the pure trot. The shorter -the toe and angle of the hind feet as compared with the front, the -quicker they will go into a singlefoot and pace. The causes of the -roughness in the gait of the trotter are that the feet are at too short -an angle, not carrying weight enough in front, and checked too high, or -slipping too much. - - - - - IV. CAUSES FOR BECOMING ROUGH GAITED. - - -The front feet or the hind feet are not mates, or _high heels on one -foot and low heels on the opposite_; they are cut too low on one side to -hang level compared with the opposite side of the same foot, a long toe -on one foot and a short toe on the opposite foot; these variations -create a different angle, when it should be the same; that is, the front -feet should be mates and the hind feet should be mates. Cutting out the -frog, bars and sole, and opening the heels with the knife will also lead -to a rough gait when the foot is dry and hard, and the horse strikes a -hard track at speed. Carrying head too high, too low, or to one side, or -pulling on bit too strong will do the same thing. - -After fixing the front feet as directed, do not leave the heels on the -hind feet high or the toes of the hind feet too short, fix the hind feet -by leaving the toes long enough and the heels low enough to create an -angle to within a few degrees the same as the front feet. This will -prevent breaking over too quick which increases the liability to -singlefoot, and fixing hind feet this way lengthens the stride and helps -to confine the action to the trot longer and purer. - - - - - V. SHIN HITTING OF THE FRONT LEGS. - - -A foot left too high on the outside from centre of toe back to the -outside heel will cause this. Some travel very close and others wing in: -this winging in is not always because of an imperfect or unbalanced -foot, sometimes it is caused by a deformity of the leg, or a contraction -of the muscles or ligaments, sometimes they will be either longer or -stronger on one side of the leg than on the other, which has a tendency -to control winging or paddling. To fix a foot that is hitting the shins -of the front legs, shorten the toe to a natural length foot, while doing -this keep lowering the outside of the foot, leaving the inside of the -foot quite a bit higher, by actual measurement, in some cases a quarter -of an inch higher or longer is not too much. Shoe with a plain shoe or a -side weight shoe with the heavy side of shoe on the inside of each foot, -the heavy or wider side of the shoe will prevent sinking in the ground, -which will help matters. Bevel or hot rasp the inside edge of shoe from -the inside toe back to the quarters. Shoe with the weight that the horse -goes best with. - - - - - VI. HOW TO MAKE A SHOE TO PREVENT WINGING IN. - - -Make a heavy side weight shoe, the same kind of shoe as for a paddler -but the weight or heavy side of shoe will have to be on the inside of -the foot. Fix the feet, according to article in this book on winging in, -to receive this shoe. Bevel or round off the inside toe back to quarters -on this shoe. With the foot properly fixed for this shoe there will be -an immediate change. If a toe weight is used keep spur towards inside -toe from centre of foot but not far enough to hit knee boot. - - - - - VII. SHIN HITTING OF THE HIND LEGS. - - -There are different causes for this trouble. In the trotter it is -because the hind action and the front action do not work in harmony with -one another. Excessive hind action will cause it, or excessive front -action in some cases will cause it. A front foot that is highest or -longest on the outside toe will cause it. What will cause it the -quickest and more severely is a _high inside_ on the _hind foot_, -especially on a horse that has been going open gaited behind. If your -horse has plenty of action in front and is going in a medium light shoe -I would advise you to level his hind feet; be sure and do not have the -_inside_ of hind feet the _highest_ (which is nearly always the case), -but if anything have it a shade the lowest, and shoe the hind feet with -an outside weight shoe several ounces heavier than he has been carrying; -this will widen his hind action and when he gets to going the weight -will keep him outside and clear. This weight can be decreased as his -gait is being perfected. The most particular part of this will be to get -his _feet properly_ prepared to help the line of action. - -Perhaps your horse is short in his front action, low and dwelling -gaited, too much so for his hind action, if so, shoe him in front with -heavier shoe, say 5 ounce heavier or even more as the case may need, -bevel or roll the toe, also bevel the outside edge from the outside toe -to heel of front shoes where the shin hitting is done. If your horse -wings in towards his knees or arms, the inside of front feet should be -left the highest. I prefer in shoeing such horses to keep them going as -close in line as possible with hind legs and if he cannot, without -interference, then they will have to go outside (see article on how to -widen hind action). - - - - - VIII. KNEE AND ARM HITTING. - - -This has been a great worry to “the smart set,” “the know it alls” for -many years, as to what causes it, and what to do to help or prevent it. -Winging in is caused sometimes by a deformity, or by contracted muscles -or ligaments stronger on one side of the leg than on the other; -sometimes deformed feet, or a badly contracted inside quarter will be -the cause of some of this trouble, because the weight of the horse at -the ankle drops over the inside heel instead of coming down in the -middle of the foot. A contracted inside quarter and a high or long -outside toe are dangerous weapons for a horse to be carrying, one of -these at a time is bad enough, but when a foot is troubled with both it -is _very bad_. If your knee or arm hitter has a contracted quarter on a -front foot, the first thing to do is to get a hoof expander and expand -the contracted quarter. This will be an important step towards getting -the leg in the middle of the foot. In all my experience with knee and -arm hitters I have found the offending foot too high on the outside, -with the most of the foot from the center of the frog on the outside of -the leg. With height and width of foot on the outside of the leg, it is -just contrary to science. To straighten the line of action this needs to -be reversed; edge up the outside edge of the foot from the outside toe -to the point at quarters as much as it will stand, do it at every -shoeing and you will be getting the leg closer to the middle of the -foot. If you can get a little more of the foot on the inside of the leg -than is on the outside, it will be a benefit to a bad knee and arm -hitter. Another thing, the shorter the toe or angle of a knee hitter the -easier he can leave the ground and the less he will wing in, and the -lighter will be the blow if he hits. The knee hitter should be shod as -lightly as he will go at speed, balanced. The lighter the weight he is -carrying the lighter the blow if he strikes. The best kind of a shoe for -a knee hitter is a side weight shoe with the heavy side on the inside of -the foot; good results are obtained with heel and toe calks, the toe -calks _well set back_ on the toe of the shoe. - -These calks on the shoe of a knee and arm hitter should be a little thin -so as to catch hold of the ground as the foot goes to twist before he -picks it up; they will prevent a certain amount of twisting while the -body of the animal is gliding over the weight-bearing portion of the leg -as the foot leaves the ground. They will have a tendency to make him -break over squarer and not so hard on the outside toe as the foot is -leaving the ground. Now if your knee hitter wears a toe weight attach it -towards the inside toe as far as possible but not far enough to the -inside so as he will strike the opposite leg with it. When the feet of a -knee hitter have been gotten in the shape as described herein and shod -accordingly; why, the horse will think that he has been baptized and -born over again. A perfect foot is rare, but with good judgment, a good -eye and a little patience and perseverance a lot can be accomplished -that will surprise some of those that think they know it all. In a knee -hitter, also in an arm hitter, the bones of the foot and leg do not work -true in their sockets, clear up to the knee, even the joint at the knee -does not work true, the knee joint has a faulty motion, instead of -breaking straight forward, it breaks out sideways as the rest of the leg -starts to wing in. By building the foot mostly to the inside of the leg -and having width and height of foot on the inside you are taking some of -the power away that causes the winging in, and the breaking outward of -the knee. It is something strange, but I have known knee and shin and -arm hitters to be turned out with their shoes on in paddocks, and you -would seldom see them hurt themselves, but put the harness on, hitch -them up, and start them at speed and take a pull of 75 or 100 pounds on -their lower jaw and the trouble would begin. The directions in this -article for fixing the foot for knee and arm hitting are also the surest -remedy for horses that toe out badly, a fault that is so objectionable -to all horsemen. If you use a sideweight shoe on a front foot to prevent -shin, knee and arm hitting, the heavy part of shoe should be on the -inside of foot, but if you leave the outside of the foot one-sixteenth -or one-eighth of an inch higher than the inside, you will be working -against the results you are looking for. - -It looks strange to many people that an outside weight shoe to a _front -foot_ has a tendency to make a horse wing in, and the same shoe applied -to a hind foot will widen the hind action, with the foot fixed for that -purpose. If you can fix the foot _properly_ to control the line of -action that you want, you will surely accomplish something. You should -know what angle suits the action best. The foot should be symmetrical in -shape to conform with the coffin bone, have no more foot on one side of -the frog than on the other side, and the bearing surface to hang so as -the foot will land on and leave the ground as square or level as -possible. - - - - - IX. JOGGING A KNEE KNOCKER WINTER AND SPRING, AND THE BEST WAY TO SHOE - AND FIX THE FOOT TO DEVELOP THE MUSCLES. - - -Lower the outside of the foot of the winging in leg, and _keep it the -lowest_. Shoe the foot with a _very light shoe_, plain or bar shoe, have -a side pocket weight made that will carry from 6 to 9 ounces of lead -with a spur on it; cut or burn a hole in the bottom edge of the foot -midway between toe and heel for the spur, buckle it tight to foot, the -weight to be on inside of foot. If the horse wings in with both front -feet use the pocket weights on both feet and fix both feet as directed -above. This will have a wonderful effect _in developing muscle_ while -taking his slow work that will help to prevent winging in so bad when he -begins faster work. This knee knocker should be shod with a side weight -shoe, the heft of weight on inside of foot, shoe should be very light on -outside. This shoe should be made thick on inside with a bevel thinned -towards the outside toe, a difficult shoe to make to be used when pocket -weights are discarded for fast work. - - - - - X. A BAD SHIN, KNEE AND ARM HITTER, TROTTER. - - -A chronic shin, knee and arm hitter was a horse called Rustler, owned at -Richmond, Va. In the early part of the summer that he raced so well, he -was working miles around 2:41 and 2:42 but very unsteady, breaking -continually. He would begin by hitting his shins, as speed was increased -he would hit his knees and arms so hard that he would not stay on the -trot. He was brought to me to shoe by his colored groom, who also -brought his boots, as I had never seen the horse in action, but after -seeing the boots he wore, I saw at a glance he needed as far as gaiting -or balancing was concerned, to be regenerated. He was a large horse, and -his feet had not grown much from the last shoeing so as I could change -them to my liking. I was informed that he went best in light shoes, but -the owner told me to use my own judgment, so I did. I made a pair of -sideweight shoes, 18 ounces with toe and heel calks, the heavy side of -shoes on the inside of each front foot, the outside of each front shoe -as light as possible. After leveling his hind feet, a light shoe with -heel calks was put on. The owner, Mr. C. J. Smith of Richmond, Va., came -to the shop and looked at the front shoes and did not like the job, as -to the weight and the calks, thinking if he did not knock a leg off, he -would cut boots and legs to smithereens. I told him I would change them -if he thought it best, but before I got ready to take them off he said -leave them on and I will try them and see what he will do with them. The -groom drove him out to the track, and Mr. Smith, being present, ordered -the groom to drive him a slow mile as the trainer was not there; he -worked the second mile so easy that he was worked another easy mile in -2:21, the last quarter well within himself in 33 seconds without a -break, over the same half-mile track on which he could not beat 2:41 -previous to this shoeing. They said when he got on his stride there was -nothing the matter with him. I had not heard from the horse for nearly a -week when one day as the owner was driving by I hailed him asking how -was Rustler, he said “he is all right, there isn’t a thing the matter -with him.” He went to the races, started in at Baltimore, Maryland, and -after winning seven or eight consecutive races, finished at Readville a -close second in 2:12. Most of his races were won in the same front shoes -it took to balance him, and yet some writers will say you cannot get -immediate results. - - - - - XI. SHIN, KNEE AND ARM HITTING PACER. - - -H. J. Rockwell and Rustler a pacer and trotter respectively, would hit -and cut their boots something terrible. I took H. J. Rockwell away from -his knees by the mode of foot fixing and shoeing hereinbefore prescribed -and that made a race horse of him, whereas he had been hitting his knees -for several years. While he was hitting his knees he was rated as a -quitter, but after he began to beat horses like “B. B.” over the -half-mile tracks, the race followers wanted to know from his trainer, -the late F. M. Dodge, what he had done to him. I mention this particular -case because the public or horsemen that knew this horse knew he was a -tough proposition to balance. - - - - - XII. ELBOW HITTING. - - -Some horses do this when being speeded. It is caused by excessive knee -action, in folding up of the leg, also in the flexing of the pastern -joint. It is faulty or lost action. For elbow hitting, as a rule, the -horse should be made to go in as light a shoe as possible, he should get -his training with his front feet kept as low as possible at the quarters -and heels and the foot at an angle of about 49 degrees, he should be -shod as light as possible with plain or bar shoes, and with as light a -_toe weight_ as possible, for the more toe weight he carries the harder -he will go to his elbows. Most all elbow hitters hit their elbows with -the toes of the shoe while the knee is being elevated. It would be a -hard matter for a horse to hit his elbows with the heels of the shoes -with the knee extended and elevated, for at this time is when the fold -of the knee and flexing of the pastern causes the toe of the shoe to -strike against the elbow. If preparing the foot for the shoe as stated -above and shoeing the feet light does not stop the elbow hitting apply a -bar shoe with most all the weight in the bar and quarters of the shoe, -the shoe being light as possible around the toe where the nail holes are -punched. Be sure and have the quarters and heels as low as possible. The -reason for low quarters and heels on an elbow hitter is, that it makes a -longer angle to leave the ground from, and it gives a longer bearing -surface behind the leg, to receive the weight that is in the quarters -and bar of the shoe which is put there to prevent some of the folding of -the knee and some of the flexing of the pastern that causes the -interference. I have been very successful shoeing elbow hitters with -this kind of a shoe. All elbow hitters should be worked to go as low -headed as possible, a standing martingale works well on some. If you put -on too much of a toe weight on some horses that go close to their elbows -it will drive their action to, or against their elbows. Now this being -the case, if toe weights will drive him to his elbows a heel weight will -usually prevent folding against the elbows. - -Now in making this shoe for an elbow hitter it will be necessary to add -from four to six ounces more weight to the shoes than he has been -carrying, but put it all in the quarters and bar at the heels, and keep -adding weight to the heels of front shoes until he stops hitting his -elbows. This kind of a shoe is to be used when a very light shoe fails -to prevent elbow hitting. Squaring the toe of the shoe will also help to -lighten the blow, or take him that much farther away from his elbows. - -To decrease the lofty folding action of elbow hitters the foot should be -placed at an angle of from 47 to 49 degrees or as near to that as -possible, and add the amount of weight of shoes he has been carrying to -the toe weight and also add not less than four or five ounces more to -each of a pair of heel weight shoes, when a light one did not answer. Do -not use any toe weight, but if the heel weight bar shoes are not heavy -enough, a heavier shoe or quarter boot can be used. - -One thing that should not be overlooked in a horse hitting his elbows is -his hind action, it should be examined closely. The hind action may be -too dwelling gaited, the stride may be too short or too long. Now if the -hind action is of a sluggish nature, it will be a benefit to increase -his propelling power, it will drive his elbow an inch, more or less, -away from the flexing of the foot against it. If he is long and dwelly -gaited you can quicken or make him more rapid, if he is striding too -short you can lengthen his stride by fixing his feet and applying -weight. It is very important to increase his propelling power. A horse -that hits his elbows needs to be balanced by foot fixing, and the -applying of weight to go on as light a line as possible, because the -harder he pulls on the bit when at speed the more he is inclined to hit -his elbows. - -If the hind stride is too long and dwelly, shorten the hind toes -considerably and use a square toe shoe and raise the heels with a side -calk. If the hind stride is too short lower the quarters and heels of -the hind feet as much as they will stand and add two or three ounces -more weight to the hind shoes. With toe and heel calks a horse with a -long cannon bone, with lofty action that flexes his foot from the ground -with a snap is more likely to hit his elbows than a horse with shorter -cannon bones. - - - - - XIII. AN UNUSUAL CASE OF ELBOW HITTING. - - -A horse that hits the right elbow with the left foot and the left elbow -with the right foot is seldom seen. The horse _Hunter Hill_ would begin -doing this when going at a 2:40 gait or better, and would act bad and -unsteady. He was brought to me to shoe and I was told he could not carry -any weight. As he had not enough foot to change, I told the trainer he -would have to carry weight to counteract the faulty winging in to the -elbows. I made a pair of eighteen ounce heavy side weight shoes with the -weight on the inside of each front shoe, thin heel and toe calks, toe -calks well set back on toe of front shoes. These shoes took him away -from his elbows and he raced good over the half-mile tracks stepping -miles around 2:12. After he got gaited these sideweight shoes were -discarded for plain lighter shoes. - - - - - XIV. PADDLING. - - -Just the reverse to winging in, a tiresome lost motion, a source of -worry to horse and driver, especially if the horse has speed and is -driven on sharp turns on half-mile tracks, but it is not as dangerous as -the winging in hard to knees. Paddling is more easily controlled than -winging in. Now to straighten the paddler, fix the foot on the leg that -paddles, by cutting or rasping the inside of the foot from the inside -toe back to the inside heel as low as possible, leaving the outside toe -the highest or longest to leave the ground from. Be sure and have the -inside of foot the lowest, the outside toe the longest. To begin this an -angle close to 50 degrees or less, say 49, will have wonderful effect. -The long or high toe on the outside will have a tendency to make the leg -wing towards his knees at speed which is the controlling influence -against paddling. The long or high outside toe is the part that has to -leave the ground the last, which _creates winging_, and helps to stop -paddling. To shoe a paddler, shoe with a light shoe, with as little -weight as possible to go balanced. The more weight the more he will -paddle, the less weight the less paddle. - -The best shoe for a bad paddler is a sideweight shoe extra heavy on the -outside of foot, bevel the outside edges of front shoes good. If the -change of action is not quick enough you can use a toe weight placed on -the foot well to the outside toe of foot. When I could not get the -inside of foot low enough compared with the outside of foot I have made -the front shoes thicker on the outside than the inside. When you have -fixed the feet and shod a paddler this way you will begin to think that -paddling can be stopped when at speed. Most paddlers must go as light in -front as possible. With the feet fixed and shod as herein stated you -will be surprised at the change of action that will take place when at -speed, after a week’s driving. The faster the paddler is driven the less -paddling he will be doing. The outside of the foot on a paddler needs to -be kept the highest, which is just to the reverse of a knee and arm -hitter, this applies to the front feet and action of the front legs. - - - - - XV. HOW TO MAKE A SHOE TO PREVENT PADDLING. - - -Take a piece of iron or steel two or three ounces heavier than the shoe -the horse has been carrying and draw one end of it very light having it -quite thin. Make a heavy outside weight shoe of it, leaving all the -thickness at the outside toe of shoe, thin the outside heel down to the -same as the inside heel. The outside edge of this shoe will be thick, -but tapering thin to the inside edge of the outside web of shoe. This -shoe begins to get light, narrow and very thin at centre of toe around -to inside heel. Look up article on foot fixing to prevent paddling at -speed when using this shoe. The horse’s foot will have to leave the -ground from the outside toe of this shoe when stepping fast and this -will have a tendency to make him wing in, and the line of action will -become straighter as the animal becomes accustomed to it. This change -can be quite _radical_, on a horse that has been paddling a long time, -and not so rank on young stock just beginning to get gaited. This shoe -does not stop the paddling on all animals when jogging slow as the foot -can leave the ground or break over from center or inside toe of shoe, -which has no control to prevent a slight paddle. - - - - - XVI. HITCHING, HOPPING OR RUNNING BEHIND. - - -This way of going comes from different causes. An unbalanced foot from -being improperly fixed, will cause it. The improper weight of shoes at -one end or the other, or all around, will cause it; speeding a colt or -horse that is pulling too much weight, especially up a grade, will cause -it; forging, scalping, speedy cutting, shin and hock hitting will cause -it; carrying the head to one side at times will cause it; soreness of -the back, rump or muscles of whirlbone, stifle or thigh will cause it. - -Examine the faulty leg for soreness, for if the horse is not lame from -soreness somewhere, he can be balanced to go true. If a horse begins -hitching, his fast work should be stopped until he is properly balanced, -for no horse can improve his speed after he becomes rough gaited without -danger to himself. The first thing to do is to get him balanced. First, -see that his feet are level. Nine times out of ten you will find his -feet are not mates or do not hang level, you will find the foot on the -offending leg that is doing the damage different from its mate. In all -my experience I have found the foot on the faulty gaited leg to be very -high on the inside, if not at the toe, it would be at the heel, but the -majority of times it would be high from toe to heel, which would be the -main cause of the hitching. Fix the front feet to hang level, the angle -and length of toes the same. The two hind feet should be at the same -angle and have the same length of toe. The foot of the faulty going leg -should be made the _lowest on the inside_ and the shoe to be used on -this foot must weigh double the weight or from one to three ounces more -than double the weight of the one on the opposite hind foot. This shoe -can be made with the weight in the outside, with the inside edge from -the centre of toe back to the inside quarter rounded or beveled off -considerably, fit the shoe full to the outside toe. If the hitching -horse is shod according to these directions and does not begin to go -better gaited, it is because he is lame. If he carries five-ounce shoes -behind put twelve or thirteen ounce on the faulty gaited leg and the -light shoe on perfect gaited leg. - - - - - XVII. FORGING. - - -This is a very annoying fault and the same rules to remedy it do not -apply to all horses, for what will stop one may not stop another. Most -all forging will be done jogging, or going an ordinary road gait. From -forging comes the scalping which is very dangerous when the horse begins -to brush along, as scalping creates rough and bad gaited horses. There -are many horses that will forge or scalp going slow in the same shoes -that suit them for speed. It is hard to shoe all horses with a set of -shoes that will suit the horse, the driver and a faulty gait at varying -rates of speed, all at the same time. Horses that are _low gaited_ in -front that forge jogging, need as a rule, a lot more weight in their -front shoes. Horses that go high gaited with lots of knee action in -front that forge require a light shoe. Forgers usually have excessive -action either in front or behind. Locate the faulty end, see if the -horse has too much action in front and not enough behind, or if he has -too much behind and not enough in front. Get a line on his gait before -you make any changes, perhaps you may not have to change but one end of -him to either increase or decrease action. Weight in the shoe is the -important factor applied to a perfectly balanced foot, whether it is a -front foot or a hind foot. You can add weight to the front or hind feet, -as may be desired, to increase action, or decrease the weight to -decrease the action at either end. Now right here I will say, a horse -jogging hardly feels a change of weight of one, two or three ounces, but -will show the effect of five or six ounces from the start. Do not be -afraid to apply a heavy shoe to hind feet for if his action requires it -to prevent forging, the horse will like it better and so will you. - -In adding weight to hind feet you will be increasing the hock action and -in some horses it will take considerable weight to do it; horses going -an ordinary road gait will not feel one, two or three ounces increase of -weight in hind shoes. Horses stepping fast as a rule do not do any -forging and, of course, the lighter they can go the better. There are -many horses—fast trotters—that forge or scalp jogging, that would go -cleaner or purer by applying a four-ounce toe weight, some may need a -five-ounce weight, lots of them have to be jogged too fast in order to -prevent forging or scalping, when perhaps a toe weight would be the -remedy. A horse going a 2:10 gait will feel the effects of a one or two -ounce weight as much as one going a slow gait would feel the effects of -four or five ounces. - -Take a side view of your horse as he is driven by and locate the faulty -action, you will be able to tell if it is too short, too long, too high -or too low, too rapid or too dwelly, front or hind action. If the lost -action is in front as to height, extension or rapidity, fix the feet to -help the shoes to perfect the action. If the front action is too low -shorten the toes, leave the heels high or raise them with shoe or side -calks and shoe with a shoe five or six ounces heavier, more or less, as -the action requires, use a square or bevel toe shoe. A rolling toe shoe -is good on slow-going horses, the horse should carry his head higher -than usual. If the front action is too high, lower the quarters and -heels as low as they will stand, and shoe with a light shoe, and if -there is not extension enough use a toe weight to balance up action, the -horse should carry his head lower, or natural. If the hind action is too -low shorten toes as much as they will stand and add several ounces more -weight and raise the heels a half inch or more. If hind action is too -high lower quarters and heels as low as they will stand, keeping plenty -of toe on hind feet and shoe with a very light shoe to prevent slipping. -If he is handling his hind legs too rapid for the front ones, this last -sentence will remedy that also. I have seen obstinate forgers at a slow -gait stopped by carrying from two to three times more weight on the hind -feet than in the front feet, and vice versa, according to their front or -hind action. - - - - - XVIII. SCALPING. - - -This is a very dangerous fault. When a horse is making speed and begins -scalping, he is unbalanced quite bad, he needs changing before being -speeded again for if you don’t he or she will get rough gaited, or will -begin carrying the hind leg between front ones, hopping, or trying to -run with hind action. The first thing to do is to examine the hind feet, -you are likely to find the hind feet a lot higher on the inside than on -the outside nine times out of ten. Some horses will begin scalping after -their feet get too long. In horses with excessive action, carrying too -much weight in front will cause scalping at speed. Horses with very -little action in front and not carrying weight enough will be liable to -scalp at speed. When shoeing for scalping use a square toe shoe, light -or heavy, as may be required by the front action. - -Feet all out of proportion and at the wrong angle and not level will -cause scalping. Now if the animal has very little hock action and mostly -stifle action, I would lower and shorten the toes of the hind feet as -much as possible, use a square toe shoe and raise the heels with a side -calk, this will shorten the stride and by adding some weight to the hind -shoe it will increase hock action. Most all scalping is done with front -or outside toe of the front shoe coming in contact with the coronet of -hind foot. It hurts the horse so much that he will try to find some way -to avoid it; some trainers use a gaiting pole to prevent the horse from -going crooked in the shafts because of this fault. - - - - - XIX. REMEDY FOR SCALPING. - - -If the front action is low, long and of a sluggish nature, shorten the -toes of feet considerable and add about five ounces more weight to the -shoes, or more, if required to create a more lofty knee fold. The action -of some horses requires a lot more weight than others to make the -change. The shoes to be used, if working to make speed should be a -square toe shoe, or a beveled toe shoe, also a wedged shaped shoe thick -at the heels and thin at the toe is good, squared at the toe. For -ordinary road driving a rolling toe shoe is good, but not for extreme -speed, as it has a tendency with most horses to slip back too much on -leaving the ground; and the horse should be made to carry his head -higher than usual. If the front action is high, short, or too rapid, not -working in harmony with the hind, lower the quarters and heels of front -feet as much as they will stand and keep a fair length toe on the front -feet and shoe with a very light shoe and use a toe weight to balance for -extension, place a spur for toe weight well up on toe of foot out of way -of the scalping; and the horse should be made to go as low headed as is -comfortable to him. - -If the hind action is low, long or of a dwelling nature, shorten the -toes as much as they will stand, and shoe, to elevate the heels, with a -thick heel shoe, or raise the heels with side calks. A few ounces more -weight than he has been carrying will be all the better to make him use -his hocks more. If the hind action is high and choppy with not much -extension, lower quarters and heels as much as they will stand and keep -a fair length toe on him, it will keep him closer to the ground; and -shoe light to prevent slipping. - -A side view of the animal as he is driven by you will give you the -correct view of his front and hind action. If the action is too short, -too long, too high or too low, in front or behind, the chances are you -may not have to change but one end of him if you have a good eye for -locating faulty action. If your horse is good and can beat his record, -or go the race of his life, and scalps jogging, try a toe weight on him -in front, if it does not stop him wear scalpers on him jogging and let -well enough alone. - -I have had to take a three and one-half ounce shoe off a colt that -trotted eighths of a mile in seventeen and a quarter seconds, that was -scalping jogging, and shoe him with a ten and a half ounce heel weight -shoe nailed back near quarters of hind feet to prevent him from scalping -at the jog, after two changes in the front shoeing. - - - - - XX. SIDEWEIGHTS. - - -Sideweight shoes with the weight on the outside have a different effect -or result on front and hind action. An outside weight shoe on a front -foot has a tendency to make the leg wing in, and an outside weight shoe -on a hind foot will widen and lengthen the stride, if feet are properly -prepared, so you see it widens the hind action and closes the front -action. To close the action of the front leg with this sideweight, lower -the front foot on the inside. To widen the action of hind leg, lower the -inside of hind feet. This sideweight shoe will help a paddler that has -to carry a little weight, if you will lower the inside of the foot, but -it is no good for a knee knocker. The outside weight shoe has a -different effect on front and hind action, has a tendency to close one -and widen the other. - -Sideweight shoes are good to correct the following faulty lines of -action if the feet are correctly prepared for them to help the shoe, for -if the foot, or feet, are not properly fixed to help the line of action -this faulty fixed foot will work against the effect of the sideweight, -and the results will be very unsatisfactory. Sideweight shoes are best -for winging in, or paddling out, with front legs, hitching or hopping or -carrying a hind leg in, out of line, or carrying a hind leg between the -front legs, also good for a wheel swinging hind leg. - - - - - XXI. WHEEL SWINGING. - - -A trotter that is wheel swinging a hind leg, has developed a line of -action that is tiresome, controlled mostly by the muscles on the outside -of leg, that unbalances action at speed to a certain extent, and it -looks unsightly to a good judge of gait, when coming to you or going -from you. To correct this faulty line of action of wheel swinging, keep -the toe of hind feet nearly as long as the front feet, and have the -angle of the hind feet within two or three degrees of the same as the -front feet. If the angle of front feet is fifty degrees have the angle -of the hind feet about fifty-two or three degrees. Lower the outside of -hind foot a full quarter of an inch or more than it will be on the -inside, begin lowering the outside of hind foot at the center of toe -back to outside heel, have both hind feet the same length and angle. -Shoe with a sideweight shoe heaviest side of shoe on inside of foot, -with heelcalks, and place a thin low calk about one inch long on inside -toe of shoe in line from first to second nail holes. After the first -shoeing, if line of action has not improved as it should, you must lower -the outside of hind foot still more, but if you cannot lower the foot -have a shoe made thicker on the inside toe and thinner on the outside -toe and quarters, with the three calks on it and there will be more of a -change. This change can be made in the first shoeing if you have enough -of foot to change, but it is best for the horse and owner not to make -too radical a change too quickly. It is best to do it in two or three -shoeings, especially on a horse that has a lot of speed. Slow going -horses can stand more of a radical change than fast ones. - -The directions in this article for the cure of wheel swinging, by foot -fixing and shoeing, will create a sudden change, at different points, on -the bones of the foot and leg, so as to create a leverage at a -particular point as the foot leaves the ground, to control a more -perfect line of action. Be sure your horse is not carrying his head off -to one side, the opposite side to the wheel swinging leg, for if so this -helps to unbalance action and works against the results you are trying -to get to a certain extent. Do not have the outside heel of shoe any -longer than the inside but have both same length. - - - - - XXII. KNUCKLING OVER. - - -This is caused by weakness, sometimes of the ligaments that hold the -bones of ankle in their sockets, and sometimes higher up. To shoe for -this, the first thing to do is to prepare the foot. You are likely to -find the hind feet abnormally long, perhaps longer than the front feet. -Lower the toes of hind feet as much as they will stand, shorten toes by -rasping off as much as the foot will stand, do not _touch_ the heels or -have the inside of foot higher than the outside. Now use a light hind -shoe, with side calks, the calks to be one and a half to two inches -long, and tapering towards the toe of shoe. At the point of heel this -calk should be not less than one-half inch high, the higher the better, -a square toe shoe is much better than a plain one, shod this way the -very best result is obtained at once. A shoe made thick at heels, -three-quarters of an inch or more, and thin at the toe for ordinary -driving is good. - - - - - XXIII. STUMBLING. - - -Is a very dangerous fault and is from a weakness that can be helped a -lot. The front feet of a stumbler should be kept as short as possible at -the toe. Elevate the heels as much as would be comfortable to the leg -and horse. A stumbler should be made to carry some weight in his front -shoes because the weight increases knee action, and this is what you -want in a stumbler. Shoe with a toeweight shoe thick at the heels, for -height, and roll the toes of the shoes as much as possible, a bevel toed -shoe is also good, keep the heels middling high, and the toes cut down -low and shortened up. These shoes are not very good for fast work, as -they will slip back too much on leaving the ground, which retards speed -but will help to make speed in lots of slow ones that require action. - - - - - XXIV. SPEEDY CUTTING. - - -A horse that is taking his work and is “speed cutting” and still -continues to be a good actor must be game. Speed cutting begins at the -coronet or a little higher up and continues up the pastern mostly on the -inside of leg to the top of ankle and even above that. There are three -things that cause this, the most prominent one to look for, is the -inside of the hind feet are a lot higher than the outside; seven times -out of ten the outside of front feet will be found longer or higher than -the inside. The horse may or may not be carrying the proper weight. If -he is pulling a part of a ton on the bit to hold him together, he is not -properly balanced with weight. The hitting is mostly done with the -outside toe of the front shoe. If you can find some one who can level -and balance these feet on the legs there will be a big change in the -action. - -Excessive front, and not enough of hind, action will cause speed -cutting. Excessive hock and stifle action and not enough action in front -will also cause it. When the action is excessive, decrease it by -lowering the quarters and heels and by shoeing very light, if the action -of the other end needs to be increased, shorten the toes and add weight, -do not be afraid, four to five ounces will be better to experiment with -than one or two. After the horse gains confidence he may not need any -extra weight. The most important thing will be to find some one who can -fix the feet, and the feet will be found as I have stated above. There -are very few who are good judges of a balanced foot. It takes an expert -to detect the high and low side of a foot. Horses that wing into their -knees and those that paddle away from their knees, and line trotters, -contract this fault because of an improperly prepared foot to control -the faulty line of action and at times not carrying the proper amount of -weight front and hind to balance the action so that the hind action will -work in harmony with the front. - -If the horse wings in toward his knees with one or both front feet fix -the front feet according to the directions in this book in the chapter -on winging in or knee hitting. If the horse paddles out away from his -knees, I refer you to the chapter on Paddling to prepare his feet by, -and use the shoes therein prescribed. If the front action is excessive -and lofty you must lower the quarters and heels to give him a longer -leverage to leave the ground from, and shoe with a light shoe, and -balance him with a toe weight for extension, and have the feet the same -length and angle. - -To prepare the feet on a speedy cutter, rasp down or lower the inside of -foot from centre of toe back to inside heel to a level or a fraction -lower than the outside of the foot, have the toes of both feet the same -length, and at the angle he shows the most speed with. Shoe with a -sideweight shoe, the heavy side of shoe on the outside of foot and -calked to prevent slipping. - -To shorten the hind stride use a light shoe, raise the heels and shorten -the toes of the hind feet as much as they will stand. To lengthen the -stride of the hind feet, lower the quarters and heels to a longer angle -to leave the ground from, and add several ounces more weight than the -horse has been carrying to each shoe; the inside edges of hind shoes -from the toe back to quarters should be beveled off. The edges of front -shoes should be beveled off on both outside and inside. - - - - - XXV. A BAD SPEEDY CUTTER. - - -The late Freeman M. Dodge of Pittsfield, Mass., trainer and driver, had -a bay mare by the name of “Tillie Wilkes” that was speedy cutting so bad -that he was not able to work her, and he came to me to find out if I -could stop her from speedy cutting. I told him I could not tell until I -saw her driven. He brought her over and drove her down the stretch at a -three minute gait. This mare had a sore spot on the lower inside of one -hind ankle that was raw, the size of a silver dollar and when she began -touching this spot, speedy cutting, she would jump and begin running. -After seeing this mare driven I found she had excessive action in front -and very lofty, and her hind action mostly all stifle action and very -little hock action and her feet were in bad shape. She was driven over -the next day to be shod and I had her shoes ready when she arrived. I -fixed this mare’s front feet by lowering her quarters and heels as much -as nature would allow me, and left all the toe possible. This gave her a -longer leverage to leave the ground from, which kept her from breaking -over so quick, and it reduced her lofty knee action and created more -extension. I took off a twelve-ounce shoe from each of her front feet, -and applied a four-ounce aluminum shoe. - -Fixing her hind feet and shoeing them was the most important. I -shortened the toes and lowered the inside of each hind foot until the -inside of them was as low as the outside or a shade lower if anything. I -fitted a pair of heavy sideweight shoes, the heavy side of the shoes on -the outside of the hind feet, each hind shoe weighed about eleven ounces -with heel calks. This job stopped all the speedy cutting and she trotted -quarters in 31 seconds shortly after, and was sold to Mr. Shults for -$750.00. - - - - - XXVI. GAITING COLTS. - - -Sometimes you will find a colt that has not much knee, hock or stifle -action and not much speed, and in such cases, to remedy the defect, -after the feet have been leveled the hind feet a shade shorter than the -front, I would recommend a heavy rolling toe shoe in front, eight, nine -or ten ounces and a little lighter one behind, two or three ounces -lighter. If the foot is large and the colt is strong, eleven ounces in -front to begin with. Now as the action increases, decrease the weight. -When the colt begins to make speed he or she will not need a rolling toe -shoe in front, a plain shoe is better, one that will not slip back on -leaving the ground. As the colt begins to make speed the action of the -legs needs watching because sometimes they will begin to show a faulty -line of action. - -If they begin to get faulty they are liable to begin winging in or -paddling out, and when shod again the feet can be fixed to prevent this -way of going at speed. The most important thing is _fixing_ their feet -to prevent a faulty line of action for if the feet are not kept level -they will begin getting rough gaited and unsteady. One important thing -in fixing feet on yearlings to be shod and worked for speed is to keep -the quarters and heels of front feet as low as possible, it affords -comfort in landing and increases extension without carrying so much -weight. Colts that have a lot of action at both ends, hind and front, -need very light shoes all round, you can find out the proper balance -with a toe weight. - -To increase extension, lower the quarters and heels and apply toe -weights instead of using so much in the shoe. The colt should carry a -natural head, not too high and not too low, the lower the better if he -is inclined to mix. If your colt is short and choppy gaited in his hind -action lower the quarters and heels of hind feet and shoe with a heavy -toeweight plain shoe and extend the shoe out one-quarter of an inch or -more in front of toe of hind foot. When the colt begins to make speed -decrease the weight of shoe of hind feet. Some youngsters require more -weight behind than in front to equalize action so as to work -harmoniously front and rear. - -If you have a mixed-gaited colt and you want to make a trotter out of -him or her, keep plenty of foot on both hind and front feet, especially -at the toes. When fixing the feet to be shod cut or rasp the quarters -and heels of both front and hind feet as low as possible, keep plenty of -toe on front and hind feet. Usually you will find that the front feet -have the longest angle to leave the ground from, but by lowering the -quarters and heels of hind feet to get them as near as you can to the -same angle of the front feet, the more you will be confining the gait to -a pure trot, and there will be less danger of singlefooting or pacing. - -I want my readers to distinctly understand that there is a set of pacing -feet for a pacer and a set of trotting feet for a trotter, especially at -the time when you are going to convert a trotter to the pace or a pacer -to the trot. That, however, will be explained later in this book. If -your trotting colt becomes mixed gaited or goes into a singlefoot or -pace, the first thing to do is to lower the quarters and heels of hind -feet as much as possible, keep all the toe on him you can and shoe with -a light shoe with toe and heel calks. The front feet should be lowered -in the same manner and add a few ounces more weight to front shoes and -allow your colt to be driven as low headed as is comfortable. - -When you try this remedy for a mixed-gaited colt or horse you will be -surprised why you have not been able to find it out years ago. - -The pacing youngster with not much of any kind of action at either end, -needs to go in short toes and heavy shoes all around and if the toes of -shoes are beveled or rolled it will be very good the first time shod. -After your pacing colt begins to make speed, shoe to prevent slipping at -both ends, with heel and toe calks on hind shoes. As a rule they go high -headed, it seems to suit the majority of pacers. - -[Illustration: - - HORSE-SHOE STACK—ALLEN FARM, 1916. - - W. J. MOORE -] - -If your pacer begins to cross-fire lower the inside of hind feet but if -you cannot lower the feet on the inside raise the outside with the -thickness of the shoe, thick on outside and thin on inside. If you can -lower the inside of hind feet low enough, a plain shoe will do with -calks. The best shoe for a cross-firing pacer is a heavy sideweight -shoe, thin and rounded off on the inside toe. You do not need any -_projections_ on this shoe, heel or toe, if the foot is properly -prepared to widen action. If your colt gets to winging to his knees, -lower the outside of front feet from centre of toes to heel on -_outside_. If your colt begins to paddle with one front leg or the -other, lower the inside of the foot or feet as much as they will stand, -this will leave the outside toe the longest to leave the ground from, -which, when at speed, will prevent a lot of paddling. The lighter the -shoes on a paddler the better, but if he has to carry some weight in his -shoes to balance action, put all the weight in the outside of his shoes. -If you use a toeweight, attach it near to the outside toe for better -results. Paddling is caused by the contraction of muscles on one side of -the leg, the same as winging in, and not always by bad shoeing, the main -thing is _foot fixing_. - -Some say there is nothing under the sun perfect. Foals developing in the -womb of their dam sometimes will be in a cramped position, which -contracts those muscles or ligaments that cause winging in or paddling -out. As some of the yearlings and weanlings show this faulty line of -action before ever being shod. I have seen yearlings that were -knee-knockers to begin with and you would think confirmed ones and after -one, two or three shoeings you could not hear them knock their boots on -the turns, and they would later develop into fast trotters and win races -or take fast records at two and three years old. - -At the Allen Farm, where I have been located for a great many years, I -have seen results obtained by foot fixing and shoeing that satisfied me -that there were secrets hidden from most of the public in the art or -science of foot fixing and balancing faulty action, and from my -experience and the results obtained, I felt that the public was entitled -to my knowledge so gained. I have seen yearlings step eighths of a mile -from 15¾ to 17 and 18 seconds, and many of them. I have seen a yearling -step the last sixteenth of an eighth in seven seconds, a 1:52 gait, on -this half-mile track which should go a second faster on a mile track. - -Now if the foot fixing and shoeing that I have explained in this book -and have been practising for years is not the nearest approach to the -proper and correct way of balancing the action of the trotter and pacer, -why has Bingara become the champion fourteen-year-old sire of 2:30 -performers, located as he is in this cold climate and far away from the -section where are the greatest number of producing dams? Mares by -Kremlin 2:07¾, the champion living brood mare sire of the world, have -produced wonderful results. Through these channels came Baden 2:05¼, a -trotting race horse that raced on both half-mile tracks and mile tracks -and was badly handicapped in many of his races by being scored ten, -twelve, fifteen, and as many as seventeen times before getting the word. -This scoring was not all done by one driver or one horse, but by -different drivers and different horses trying to break the horse’s heart -repeatedly, and when they could not rupture his legs, unhinge his back, -rattle his thinking box or break his heart, Mr. Geers and Mr. Cox, the -great race drivers, said that Baden 2:05¼ was the greatest race horse -ever seen. In all my experience with the produce of Bingara I have never -seen one yet that wanted to pace if looked after in his early education. -I know him to get trotters from pacing mares, and nothing but trotters -from all kinds of mares, his power to transmit the trotting gait to his -produce is something wonderful, and his only pacers are those that were -forced by the unsportsmanlike use of hopples. - - - - - XXVII. NEGLECTED HIND FEET. - - -The hind feet on both trotters and pacers are the worst neglected when -receiving their preparation in training and racing. Is your trotter or -pacer going rough gaited with his hind legs? Is your trotter hitting his -coronets, is he speedy cutting, is he hitting his shins or hocks? Is -your pacer hitting his front shoes, or cross-firing? All this unbalanced -action comes from an unbalanced, unprepared, and unweighted foot, most -times—nearly nine out of ten—from cutting the outside of hind foot too -low from center of toe back to outside heel leaving the inside the -highest, which will control the line of action of the leg after the foot -leaves the ground. - -Lots of people do not know this and lots of horsemen do not know this -until they get into trouble and commence experimenting with some -fandangle shoes, long heels on one side and short heels on the opposite -side, or some projection on some part of shoes that creates strain and -friction trying to overcome a badly fixed foot or feet. If your trotter -or pacer is doing any of the above stunts, the insides of his hind foot -or feet are a lot too high for the outside. Cut the inside of hind feet -down as low as they will stand, low enough to change the angle of the -feet, to make the feet or angle longer to leave the ground from. If his -toes are the right length do not touch them. - -The best shoe for your trotter in this case is a sideweight shoe, a -little heavier than he has been carrying—two or three ounces heavier. -The best shoe for the pacer is a sideweight, same as above and it can be -an ounce heavier than above, say four ounces heavier than he had been -carrying. After your trotter or pacer becomes purer gaited you can -dispense with this extra weight. Shoe light and as long as the foot or -feet are kept level and at the right poise and angle you will not have -any trouble. I do not recommend shoes with a long heel on one side and a -short one on an opposite side on a correctly or properly fixed foot, or -feet, for fast work or racing, because such shoes create undue friction -_at speed_. When a hind leg is extended and foot or feet are properly -fixed and balanced on the leg, both heels of the foot should strike the -ground at the _same time_. If the heel on one side of shoe is -three-quarter of an inch longer, or half inch longer, this long heel -hits the ground first, before the opposite heel hits, which is unnatural -and disagreeable to the bones of the feet, that work in sockets. It has -the tendency to shift the bearing of the bones in their sockets on -landing and leaving the ground, and gives extra work to the ligaments -that hold the bones in their sockets. On slow-going horses this long -outside heel does not affect them as severely as on horses that are -working fast or racing. You must remember when horses are going at a -fast pace they land on their heels as a rule with their toes elevated -away from the ground. This is one of the main reasons why the heels of -hind shoes should be the same length on both sides at _speed_ or taking -_fast_ work. There are lots of horses that would have been faster and -better race horses if their hind feet and action had been properly -balanced to work harmoniously with one another. The speed of a horse -depends largely on the propelling power of the hind quarters. The -muscles of the thigh, stifle and whirlbone need looking after in their -early preparation to keep the soreness out of them until they become -hardened. Do not work your horse on a slippery track, wait a day or you -may be sorry, if he is not eating skip a workout, it will suit the -horse. - - - - - XXVIII. KNEE ACTION WITHOUT EXTENSION. - - -Many horses have plenty of knee action and no extension. This horse is -carrying weight enough, and foot is prepared to make him knee up, but is -unbalanced both by the weight application and foot fixing to develop the -proper extension. The feet of a horse gaited in this manner need the -quarters and heels of front feet lowered as low as safety will permit, -do not touch the toes of front feet, place the front feet at as long an -angle to leave the ground from as possible, reduce the weight of the -front shoes and add it to the feet in a toe weight, and pull his head -down some if you have to use a standing martingale and let him come -along gradually. - -Too much knee action is lost motion and tiresome. I found that out for -myself walking through the deep snows that we have up here in the -Berkshire Hills. Too much folding of the knees causes elbow hitting, and -at times when they do not reach their elbow some of them will hit on the -back of their arm. One of the worst speedy cutters I ever saw was gaited -in front in this manner. I decreased the knee and folding action, -changed the hind feet, which were very high on inside, lowered them and -shod with heavy outside weight shoe and she trotted clean and pure, -quarters in 31 seconds in May. She had one sore on her as large as a -silver dollar from hitting, and when she began hitting she would try and -run away. - - - - - XXIX. HORSES THAT GET AWAY SLOW, BUT FINISH FAST. - - -In these cases I feel sorry for the horse also for the driver. The horse -knows he is handicapped, and the driver does not want to take any -desperate chances of getting shut out by trying to get away with the -field of starters, anyhow I will say, the horse is unbalanced to get -away, got a lot of speed but can not find it when it is needed. This -horse needs assistance in foot balancing and weighting. The front action -on this kind of a horse needs to be increased more for extension than -anything else, increase his extension and everything else will take care -of itself. - -To help this horse to get away, I would change the angle of his front -feet, make the angle longer to leave the ground from. If the angle of -his front feet is at 54 or 55 degrees change it to 50 or 51, if it is at -52 or 53 degrees change it to 48 or 49 degrees, add three or four ounces -more weight to his front shoes and carry the same toe weight that he has -been carrying. In fixing his front feet do not touch or take anything -off his toes, shoe to prevent slipping, especially the hind feet. If -this horse has been carrying a light shoe in front—seven, eight or nine -ounces—it will require not less than four or five ounces more weight to -get away with his field. If this four or five ounces balances him to get -away with his field, he will not pull you hard to hold him together. If -this horse is not inclined to mix, I would have the toes of hind feet an -eighth or quarter inch shorter than those of the front feet and at an -angle of about 54 or 55 degrees, but if he is inclined to shift or mix -into a single foot, have the hind feet as near the same length and angle -as the front feet as possible, the nearer the better. If it takes two or -three ounces more weight to balance faulty action, use it, put it on his -feet, if you don’t you will wear him out pulling on him, you will make -him muscle-sore propelling against your strong arms, pulling 100 or 150 -pounds on the bit. It creates a terrible strain going the last quarter -of a fast mile, especially on youngsters, and some trainers wonder why -some of their pupils don’t go on and develop speed, and wonder why some -of them become so tired after passing the three-quarter pole. No matter -how royally bred they are, they need to be properly balanced to go the -distance on as light a pull on the bit as possible. If you depend on -balancing them by holding them together by pulling against their jaws -you are a back number for a youngster or aged horse is not doing his -work in comfort and with ease going against a heavy pull on the bit. -There is nothing that will wear out a yearling, two-year-old or -three-year-old quicker than hard pulling against the bit, for it -over-taxes the muscles of the propelling power caused by being -unbalanced. Their propelling muscles will stand it for a while, but not -for long. If you can get your colt or horse properly balanced he will -not pull you, he would rather go at speed in comfort and ease to himself -than to get unhinged in the back propelling against a heavy pull on the -lines. The trainers that can detect or locate faulty action and know -what to do to remedy the same are the ones that make a success of -developing, conditioning and driving in races. It takes judgment, a good -eye and ear to detect faulty action. It takes an expert to detect a -badly fixed foot that was intended to help the line of action. - - - - - XXX. TO CONVERT A PACER TO TROT. - - -Begin by fixing his feet, cut or rasp the quarters and heels of all four -feet down as low as possible without getting any sole pressure against -the shoes that are fitted. Have the length of toes as near alike as the -case will permit, I mean by not taking anything off the toes of front -feet or hind feet, supposing the toes are near alike, he will need all -the toe possible to convert him to the trot from the pace. Shoe front -feet with a heavy toe weight shoe, it may take fifteen or seventeen -ounces. If you have to use any toe weight while going slow it is best to -weld spur on toe of shoe and use a toe weight fitted to the spur. It is -best in this case, in order to convert the pacer to trot, to have a grab -on the front shoes. Shoe the hind feet with a light shoe with toe and -heel calk, drive him as low headed as possible even if you have to use a -standing martingale, bring him along slow, by degrees, for as it effects -a change of muscles it is something new to the horse and the more time -you take in bringing along trotting, the more you will be perfecting the -gait. Don’t hurry matters. After a few weeks he will have more growth of -foot and can lower his quarters and heels a little more giving his feet -a longer angle to leave the ground from. In converting a pacer to trot, -a four-inch toe is not too long on some horses, but on yearlings and -two-year-olds their feet will be shorter, but the closer you get the -angle of front and hind feet to 50 or 51 degrees with same length of -toes hind and front, the better, to confine him to the trot, and keep -him trotting. In some cases the angle needs to be 48 or 49 degrees in -front, and as near to that as you can get the hind feet. - - - - - XXXI. CONVERTING A TROTTER TO THE PACE. - - -Shorten and lower the toes of all four feet, do not touch the quarters -or heels of front or hind feet. The weight of the shoes will vary on -different horses. On a youngster I would put a five or six-ounce -concaved shoe in front, and about nine or ten ounces behind, with toe -and heel calk. On an older horse the weight at both front and hind can -be correspondingly heavier, about eight ounces front and eleven or -twelve ounces, with heel and toe calks behind. Now when hitched ready to -go for the first lesson, check the head as high as the horse or colt can -carry it without causing pain and misery to the neck. If he paces any, a -half mile up to a mile and a half is enough for the first three or four -lessons. If he acts good do not let him go too fast for the first week -or ten days, you must take two or three weeks before asking him to step. -The angle of the front feet should be about 55 degrees and the angle of -the hind feet should be about 59 degrees. - -Some horses that go into a singlefoot or strike a pace occasionally can -be easily converted to the pace by shoeing light in front and heavier -behind, from three to five ounces more weight in each hind shoe than he -is carrying in his front shoes. If he does not take to the pace readily -add more weight to hind shoes, and bevel or roll the toes of shoes, and -check head higher. You need a short natural foot all around to convert -to the pace. The angle of the feet will vary according to their -pasterns. If the horse has a long oblique pastern, shorten the toes hind -and front as much as they will allow to be safe, and do not touch the -heels. - -I used this method of converting Joe Patchen II from the trot to the -pace, and many others. They could not make him strike a pace and after -fixing his feet and shoeing him he went out on the track and paced an -eighth of a mile in eighteen seconds after having been driven at the -trot for over a year. - - - - - XXXII. CONTRACTED HEELS. - - -To expand a contracted foot or quarter the first thing to do is to get -the foot soft by poulticing or stuffing with “Whiterock” for a couple of -nights. Use hoof expanders that are stronger than the hoof, some feet -are so strong and stiff at the quarters that the foot has to be weakened -between the bars and frog so that the expanders will expand it. If you -want the inside quarter expanded leave the last two heel nails out of -the inside of shoe, put a toe clip on shoe and a clip back at the -outside heel and do just the reverse to expand an outside quarter. In -this way you will be getting all the expansion on the contracted -quarter. If this shoe is fitted so that the expander can be placed in -the foot after the shoe has been nailed on, the contracted quarter will -be expanded over a quarter of an inch before the shoe is clinched up. -Nails should not be used back towards the heels of a contracted foot -that is to be expanded. When the foot expands wider than the shoe, reset -shoes and renew the position of expander to act stronger. The softer you -keep the feet the faster they will spread, do not let them get dry and -hard. The expansion you get in the foot of a yearling or a two or -three-year-old can be kept after the expander has been discarded by not -allowing the heels to be kept too high for too long a time. But in aged -horses that have had contracted feet or quarters for years and have -become set, you can expand the feet or quarters, and when you stop using -the expanders the heels and quarters will contract right back to where -they were before, in the majority of cases. In cases of this kind in -aged horses after the feet have been expanded the quarters should be cut -down low and the coronets blistered on both inside and outside quarters. - -There are lots of horses with contracted heels and the heels become so -high from the coronet to the shoe bearing surface and have stayed this -way for such a length of time that they cannot be cut down without -hurting or injuring the horse, until after the feet have been expanded. -The sensitive part of the foot gets a long ways down from the coronet in -a contracted foot, and to cut or lower the quarters and heels to place -the foot at a proper angle, it cannot be done until the foot is -expanded. The more you expand the foot the lower you can cut or rasp -down the heels. The more you expand the heels the higher up you are -driving the sensitive interior of the foot at the quarters. In many aged -horses after the feet are expanded it will be well to continue the use -of expanders, to prevent contraction, for a period of six or twelve -months. - - - - - XXXIII. CAUSE OF CONTRACTED HEELS. - - -A disease called Thrush, located in and about the frog is sure to -contract the heels of a foot, if not cured quickly. A foot troubled with -thrush should be cured when first discovered, if not the frog keeps -perishing away until there is not enough of it there to hold or keep the -heels from contracting. Another cause is allowing feet to grow too high -at the heels and letting them remain too high for too long a time. When -the heels get too high the frog is too far away from the ground to get -any expansion, or to prevent contraction. The closer the frog is kept to -the ground on a horse running in pasture or shod and working, all the -better. Stock running in pasture, young or old, should have their feet -rasped down regularly every five or six weeks at the longest. Some may -need it oftener than that. This fixing of feet on stock running out, -assists expansion and prevents contraction. If the feet are allowed to -grow too long on stock running in pasture the position the animal has to -stand in while grazing, with one leg out in front of the other will -contract or curl the inside quarter of each front foot, and wing out the -outside quarter. Shoes staying on too long, and horses kept on dry, hard -floors where they do not get any moisture, will cause contraction. The -feet of horses kept on dry hard floors should be stuffed at least every -other night with clay, or whiterock, or something of a moistening -nature. Contraction is the main cause of both quartercracks and corns. -To cure Thrush, cleanse the frog thoroughly, then a few applications of -dry powdered calomel to the frog will dry the disease up and leave the -frog healthy. - - - - - XXXIV. CORNS. - - -A live, painful corn is caused by different things. High contracted -heels will cause corns as well as short ones. Shoeing and leaving the -shoes on too long, and undue concussion will cause corns. The majority -of cases of corns will be found in contracted feet. I find the most -successful way to treat corns is to get the foot or feet soft and keep -them soft. Shoe with a bar shoe, lower the heels so as you can get all -the frog pressure possible on the bar of the shoe, after the shoe has -been fitted, and before nailing to the foot, cut the heel bearing away -from the shoe where the corn is located, an inch of the bearing surface -ahead of the corn and half an inch or more away from the shoe to break -the jar and reduce the concussion. If foot is contracted use an expander -inserted in foot before shoe is fitted, and keep foot soft. I do not -recommend cutting the bars and sole away where the corn is located and -leaving the wall standing up all alone, but cut the whole heel seat of -corn and bar down _flat_, away from the bearing surface of shoe. - - - - - XXXV. TOE CRACK OR SPLIT FOOT. - - -A foot with a toe crack should be kept as short as possible at the toe. -Apply a stiff hoof expander, use one or two rivets or clamps as high up -and as near the coronet as possible after cutting the horn where one -side laps over the other the full length of the crack. After inserting -the hoof expander fit a bar shoe to the foot with a clip at each side of -the toe, and before nailing shoe to foot cut the bearing of foot away -from the shoe across the toe. If the foot is not contracted any I would -recommend a clip back at each heel. Treat the same as is prescribed for -Quartercrack, after cutting away half inch each side of crack at the -coronet. If foot is contracted do not use any clips back at the heels -and keep the foot soft. - - - - - XXXVI. QUARTERCRACK. - - -A quartercrack is a split or crack in a quarter from the coronet down -towards the bottom of a foot. At times it is very painful and prevents -the use of the horse. In most of these quartercracks one side is lapped -over on the other one-quarter or three-eighths of an inch, and from the -continual expansion and contraction of the foot while the horse is in -action the lapped parts are continually working against one another as -the foot expands with the weight of horse on it, and contracts when the -foot is lifted up. This kind of action of the split horn at the coronet -is what prevents it from knitting. The first thing to do is to apply a -few poultices which will get the foot soft. If the foot or quarter is -contracted apply a hoof expander. In fixing the foot rasp the foot as -low as possible without making it tender, at both heels and toes. Do not -cut any sole or bars out or cut the heels open with the knife, have the -side of foot where the crack is on the lowest or you can have that part -of the shoe quite thin, so that the jar or concussion will be on all -parts of foot, except the quartercrack. Use a bar shoe with plenty of -frog pressure, a plain shoe is best. If you have to have calks, place -the heel calk on cracked side ahead of crack on shoe if possible. If the -crack is close to the heel, take the bearing of foot away from the shoe -by cutting the heel down. Now cut the horn away on the side that is -lapped over the other the full length of the quartercrack, cut the horn -away one-quarter of an inch each side of the crack at the coronet, if it -bleeds a little it will not hurt. Now a blister at the coronet above and -on each side of the crack will be beneficial to start the growth down -solid, if it should crack open again apply a stronger one. After the -crack starts to grow down solid, apply a little of the blistering -ointment every week or ten days but do not let it blister, just use -enough to keep it sweating, it will toughen and soften the horn as it -grows down. A rivet or clamp drawing the edges of crack together as near -the coronet as possible, to hold it together and strengthen it will be -very beneficial. A salve or ointment formally made by the late Geo. W. -St. Clair, and now by Mike Bowerman, of Lexington, Ky., is the best -thing I have seen to help knit and grow down a quartercrack. A little -North Carolina tar rubbed into coronet over crack every other day I find -is excellent. - - - - - XXXVII. DISHED OR SCOOPED TOE. - - -This is caused by allowing feet to grow too long, especially on colts -and horses in training, creating undue pressure and strain on the front -of foot on breaking over to leave the ground. It is also caused by being -foundered, where the soles of feet have dropped, and also where the -fever has settled in the feet, and the soles have not dropped, but are -inclined to be contracted, dry and hard, and kept at the wrong angle, -and feet not kept properly fixed and shoes not properly fitted. The -remedy for this is to fix the foot at the proper angle, keep the frog -close to the ground. Pare the sole a little thin around the toe from the -point of frog out to the wall at the toe, and after the shoe has been -fitted, cut the bearing of the foot at the toe away from the shoe. A few -shoeings of this kind will prevent the toe from turning up. - - - - - XXXVIII. CONCUSSION. - - -Horses with high knee action hit the ground the hardest. The more weight -a horse carries in his shoes or toe weights, the more concussion he -receives. The concussion on the hind feet and legs does not seem to pain -or sting anything like what he has to endure in the front feet and legs -when striking the ground fast and hard, especially when he is going over -a hard piece of ground. If his front feet are out of proportion, high -heels and long toes, dry and hard, he will feel the concussion severely -and this will make many horses unsteady, breaking and acting bad. A -horse with lofty forward action should be trained in a natural low -quarter and low heeled foot, with a bar shoe as light as possible, with -frog pressure. - -The most dangerous and uncomfortable kind of a foot for a horse that -hits the ground hard to have is one with the heels abnormally high. The -higher the heels the greater the concussion. The lower the heels the -less the concussion. The more weight the more concussion. The less -weight the less concussion. A foot that is kept at the proper angle, as -near to a natural foot as possible, and kept soft, will prevent the -stinging and painful sensation that is caused by concussion. With feet -kept like this the horse will not flinch or shorten up in his stride -when he strikes hard places in the track. The light thin heel calks that -are used on shoes do not break much of the concussion when horses are -going fast. Why? because when the legs are extended at speed the shoes -land on the ground back on the heel, with the toe of the foot elevated -away from the ground, and with some horses more than with others. They -do not strike the ground flat-footed like the most of them do when going -slow. Thin hard pads are very good under light shoes, but thick pads -that will allow the walls of a horse’s foot at heels to sink or cut -through them at the heels are no good. They will create a hard lump at -the seat of corns between the bar and wall at the heels, and hold dirt -that is liable to create unpleasant feelings to a sensitive horse that -goes in middling low heels. When heels of the front feet are allowed to -become too high on horses taking fast work or racing, a very severe -strain is thrown on the ligament or tendon that holds the navicular bone -in its socket. When the leg is extended at speed the extra high heels -cause the foot to land too far ahead of the leg while the toe is -elevated on landing, so that it creates an extra amount of work for the -ligament to hold it in its proper position at the time of impact with -the ground. - - - - - XXXIX. FOUNDER, CHRONIC LAMINITIS OR DROPPED SOLE. - - -There is only one way to shoe this kind for comfort to the animal, and -for an earning remuneration for the owner. In founder or chronic -laminitis, where the sole of feet are dropped, caused by the -displacement of the weight-bearing bones of the foot, fix the feet by -lowering the quarters and heels so as to get as much frog pressure as is -possible, without making the foot tender, and your foot is ready for the -shoe. A shoe for a dropped sole foot must be a bar shoe, thick at the -toe and thin at the heels, with a wide thin bar to receive the frog -pressure. To make a shoe to suit this kind of diseased feet, use a piece -of iron three-quarters to one inch square according to the nature of the -disease and the weight of the horse, and in making the shoes for foot -founder leave all the thickness of the shoe at the toe possible, and -thin the shoe at the quarters and heels to a quarter of an inch, have -the bar wide and thin so as to receive all the frog pressure possible, -the thicker the toe of shoe and thinner the quarters and bar at heels -the better. Concave or cup the shoe out so as not to get any sole -pressure. - -I will cite one case of this kind, the very worst in my experience. A -horse that weighed over 1400 pounds that could scarcely stand on his -feet, had been treated by different veterinary surgeons and shod several -times and could not keep the shoes on his feet and he was so sore that I -got wet with perspiration getting two nails in one shoe and I had to -stand him in a very soft place to do that. This horse would lay down in -the lot most all the time and eat the grass from where he could reach it -and then move to where he could reach more, he was the most hopeless -subject I ever came across. I shod him according to the instruction -herein prescribed, and he trotted off with his tail curled over his back -like a colt. He was put to work the next morning and continued at work -until sold for two hundred dollars. Elevating the heels with calks -creates pain and misery to the animal. - - - - - XL. CROSS-FIRING PACERS. - - -When a pacer begins to cross-fire every one knows he is not balanced. -There are different causes for cross-firing: front feet not properly -fixed and at the proper angle, not carrying the proper amount of weight -in front will help to cause it, and on hind feet the same. Too much -slipping will help to create it. But the most important thing that -causes cross-firing, nine times out of ten, is because the hind feet are -a lot higher on the inside than they are on the outside, which creates a -leverage to leave the ground from when at speed, which extra height or -length of foot acts as a leverage to control the line of action of the -leg after the foot leaves the ground. In all my experience with -cross-firers I have found this the most important factor, namely, the -inside of the offending feet to be the highest. So the fixing of the -feet is the most important part of the contract. If you can get the feet -properly fixed to change the leverage, to control the line of action, -there will be no more cross-firing. (This same rule applies to a trotter -that is unbalanced if the insides of his hind feet are the highest and -when he strikes a singlefoot or pace he is very likely to cross-fire). -The pacer that begins to cross-fire needs the insides of the hind feet -lowered, a little longer angle to leave the ground from, with the height -or extra length of foot to create a leverage on leaving the ground to be -at the outside toe. A foot properly fixed as herein prescribed and a -properly made and fitted shoe will stop cross-firing. I would recommend -a sideweight shoe, the weight to be applied to the outside of feet, the -inside to be beveled or rounded from center of toe back to the inside -quarter of each hind shoe. The shoes could be a few ounces heavier than -previous shoes for best results. As a rule pacers go best and fastest in -shorter feet than the trotters. The easier a pacer can leave the ground -the more rapid gaited he will be, and the more he will be inclined to -stick to the pace. By all means shoe to prevent slipping both in front -and behind. A proper angle for the front feet has to be found, also for -the hind feet, so that the speed at both ends will be in harmony, if one -end is faster than the other there will be friction. - -There will be found in this work directions as to how to lengthen or -shorten the stride, to increase or decrease knee or hock action, to -widen hind action, also the best way to prevent winging in and paddling -out, at speed. Also how to quicken the action of dwelling gaited ones. -As to the proper amount of weight that the horse goes the fastest with -in his shoes, the trainer should know better than any one else, but all -trainers are not the best judges of gait, an expert on the ground taking -a view from in front, from behind, and a side view, has a big advantage -over the driver. An expert trainer and race driver knows when his pupil -can step a mile, half or three-quarters at a 2:10 or 2:05 or a 2:00 gait -on a light line, that his horse is all right, if there is any friction -he can see it or feel it on the lines. - - - - - XLI. NOTE OF IMPORTANCE. - - -Now right here is the most important part of a little transaction that -should not be omitted from any trainer’s records. The condition your -horse has worked up to and how he has been cared for, his weight, -whether he wears calks or not, what is the angle of his feet and length -of toes front and hind, what is the weight of his front shoes also his -hind shoes, also about his harness, the exact length of back strap and -check rein, and what hole the buckle belongs in the check rein should be -carefully noted. If you keep a record of these things no one can tell -you what your horse needs, for you will know it yourself far better. If -a change takes place and it is not physical, it may have occurred in the -shop if he has been shod recently, and as you have kept a record of his -feet and shoes and harness you can find out by reference to it. - -The last time I was in Lexington, Ky. I was working at my trade, shoeing -horses, when I was approached by a gentleman by the name of Saunders, he -said to me that he was told by some of his friends to see me about -shoeing a cross-firing pacer that he had and he also said that I was -recommended to him very highly. I told him I could tell him what I could -do for the horse after seeing the condition of the feet, if I could help -him or not, so he had the horse led around to my tent to be looked at. -After looking at the feet and shoeing, I told him I could help that -horse wonderfully, so the next day my subject was led around for me to -operate on. I had learned that this horse cross-fired so bad they could -hardly keep quarter-boots on him, and they were afraid to work him on -account of cross-firing. He was entered to start at the meeting but was -a little short of work. His feet were in bad shape according to the -calipers and foot adjuster and to my eye. I fixed this horse’s feet to -pace without cross-firing and truly, according to the prescription given -in this book for cross-firing. That horse responded to the treatment -instantly and the horse paced fine with no more cross-firing. He was -worked a couple of times during the week and went all right, and during -the meeting he was going so good they agreed to start him. He started in -the race and if my memory serves me right he finished second the first -heat, the second heat several horses finished ahead of him, I do not -remember how many, but when they came out for the third heat the driver -of this horse was called up in the stand to watch this horse while a -driver by the name of Mike Bowerman piloted him to victory in three -straight heats and he took a record close to 2:10. I believe the horse’s -name was Sable Gift, or some other gift. The only gift the horse got was -a record, something he did not want, neither did those that were buying -first, second and third choices. - - - - - XLII. KEEP THE FEET LEVEL. - - -The front foot should never be the highest on the outside of a trotter -or pacer, unless the horse paddles with one or both front legs. A foot -that is left high on the outside and low on the inside will help to -prevent paddling and will increase the winging in to the knees. A foot -that is kept high on the inside and low on the outside will help to -prevent winging in to the knees. There are lots of paddlers who do not -begin to paddle until the foot has left the ground quite some distance, -and to prove this I have seen the shoes worn by some paddlers and the -most of the wear on the shoes of the paddling leg or legs was at the -outside toe of shoe. A paddler that leaves the ground from the inside -toe of shoe can be made to carry the leg straighter in a line at speed -easier than one that leaves the ground from the outside toe. - -The reason why a front foot should not be left highest on the outside, -of a trotter or pacer, unless he is a paddler, is this; supposing the -front legs at the chest or where the upper arm joint is connected with -the chest is ten, twelve or fifteen inches apart, I mean the distance -the two front legs are from one another where connected with the body. -Now when this horse is at speed and can go fast at the trot or pace, -like most all fast horses at speed, his foot prints will be straight in -a line one after the other on the track. Now if their upper arms are ten -or twelve inches apart, more or less, and at speed their feet land -nearly on a line, the front legs are not working forward and backward in -a straight up and down line from the body, so this being the case just -try to imagine just how those two front feet land on the ground with the -legs wide apart at the upper arms and the feet landing straight in a -line or nearly so at speed. The question is, should the outside of front -foot be lower than the inside, if so, how much, to distribute and -equalize the concussion on both sides of a front foot at the heels _when -at speed_. What I am trying to explain is, if you have a fast trotter or -pacer and he does not paddle, and you are working to develop speed -intending to race, and if the outside of the front feet are the highest -and the inside of the hind feet are the highest, every time you work -this horse with unbalanced feet you are guilty of one of the greatest -crimes that are committed by trainers and horse-shoers. - -In fixing the front feet on all fast horses, trotters or pacers, that do -not paddle, first rasp the outside of a front foot down to where you -want it, toe and heel, then you can rasp the inside of the foot down to -where it will suit the action of the leg the best. The reason for this -is you can always lower the inside of a front foot a lot lower than you -can the outside of same foot and when you rasp the inside of a front -foot down _first_, nine times out of ten you will not be able to rasp -the outside of the same foot down to a level with the inside. Now the -hind foot is just to the reverse. Always rasp to lower the inside of a -hind foot down first to where you want it and then take the outside down -to a level with it. If you do not fix feet by this rule, the sensitive -portion of the foot will often prevent you from lowering it enough to -level up matters with opposite side, and the sensitive parts of the foot -that will prevent you from doing this will be the outside of a front -foot and the inside of a hind foot. This is the main reason why so many -floormen in shops all over the country cut the inside of front feet too -low for the outside, and leave the inside of the hind feet too high for -the outside of same. But if you will fix feet by this rule you will be -right the most of the time. - - - - - XLIII. PULLING ON ONE LINE AT SPEED. - - -I was approached on this subject and had it explained to me that a -certain horse going the right way of the track at speed would go on one -line and keep going into the fence or hugging the pole, and would make -two or three breaks going the length of the stretch on a half-mile -track, and could not be kept away from the fence. After an examination -of the teeth, cheeks, and tongue, and bit, and finding these to be all -O. K., I concluded that it must be from uneven extension of the legs. -The extension and propelling power of the off legs was greater than that -of the nigh ones. A three-ounce toe weight on the feet of the nigh legs -straightened or balanced up the lost action of the nigh side so that the -horse would speed the length of the stretch in any position on the track -without pulling on one line and so the necessity for pulling on one line -to keep the horse straight was stopped. - -The feet on this animal were well fixed hind and front, as to length of -toes and angle of feet, the hind shoes weighed alike and the front ones -also. The muscular development of the extension power of the off legs -was stronger than that of the nigh legs, perhaps also the propelling -power of the off hind leg. This is the reason the horse was pulling on -one line. The off legs were reaching farther than the nigh ones, which -kept forcing the horse to go towards the fence. Unbalanced feet will -cause this as well as undeveloped muscles. I have no doubt but there are -lots of horses going on one line and hugging the pole that need a change -in the angle of the feet, or the proper weight at the proper place to -balance up matters. If the strides of this horse had been measured there -would have been found a big difference between the off and nigh strides, -so you see it is not always the teeth, cheeks, or bit that cause this -trouble. The horse in question later stepped miles in 2:09. - - - - - XLIV. A GOOD JUDGE OF GAIT. - - -In all my experience with horsemen and horses I believe William Russell -Allen’s judgment about gait and prospective or ultimate speed is -superior to that of any one I have ever come in contact with. He seems -to have the faculty of knowing at a glance the frictionless gait from a -fairly good gaited one. To prove this I will cite a few instances. On -one occasion he was away on a visit and on his return he said to me that -he saw Uhlan 1:58 as a two-year-old or a three-year-old, I do not -remember exactly, but it was before he came into prominence, and Mr. -Allen told me he was the best gaited colt he ever saw. This colt must -have been just as he said, for it could not have been over a year, or -two at the outside, when this same colt trotted to a world’s record, and -it did not surprise me much after remembering what Mr. Allen told me -about his gait. The same thing happened again when he saw Peter Volo -2:02, early in his two-year-old form. Also the full sister to Peter -Volo, Volga, Mr. Allen told me she was gaited to win all her -engagements. - -Here at Allen Farm he picked a yearling out of about thirty early in the -season, that was out of a non-producing dam, to beat all the yearlings -an eighth of a mile at the trot that season at the farm on a small bet. -It was big odds and was taken very quickly by one of the employees, who -was wishing he could get more of that kind of bets. When the brush work -of the season was over the field ticket was never presented to the pool -seller to be cashed. Mr. Allen’s first choice out of a large field won -by a quarter of a second and we had a lot of fast ones, but any how he -had the laugh on me at the finish. - - - - - XLV. BAR SHOES. - - -If you have a horse with toe cracks, quarter cracks or one that is sore -or lame from corns, a bar shoe is the best kind of a shoe. If you have a -horse with a dropped sole, or founder footed horse the bar shoe is the -best kind for such feet. It is also a good shoe to be used on feet where -expanders are used as the bar in the shoe will protect the expander at -times when an open shoe will not, and frog pressure on the bar will also -help to get expansion. The most important thing to guard against is, do -not drive any nails back of the quarters because that will prevent -expansion. Draft horses with wide low heels or thin soles require bar -shoes for the hard roads, as they stay sound longer wearing bar shoes -than in open shoes. For racing purposes the bar shoe is very important -for the front feet, and occasionally for the hind feet, for both trotter -and pacer. Any horse racing or in training that carries a light, or very -light front shoe should by all means wear a bar shoe, it is a great -support to the foot when hitting the ground hard and fast, as the -natural expansion and contraction is at its limit while going at a fast -rate of speed. - -For a heel weight shoe you can get more weight in the heels of a bar -shoe than in an open shoe, which heel weight the action of some horses -requires more so than they do toe weight. A trotter or pacer that -spreads his hind shoes or front shoes, should by all means wear bar -shoes. The last time I shod John R. Gentry for Mr. James Ramey, I shod -him with bar shoes all around with heel and toe calks for that memorable -race at Detroit in the 2:13 or 2:14 class, he won his race easily -breaking the track record, under strong restraint. He could have paced a -very fast mile or two that day if he had been asked to do it, he was -sold after this performance. - -I have never seen many yearlings or two-year-olds that needed a bar shoe -while in training. It is a very bad shoe for either yearling or -two-year-old unless a hoof expander is kept in the foot to prevent -contraction and help expansion, for the feet will surely get contracted -without something to prevent it, after the heels grow high enough to -lose their frog pressure. I used a pair of heavy heel weight bar shoes, -about ten or eleven ounce, on one yearling’s hind feet to stop forging -and scalping while he was being jogged every day. The shoes he was -brushed or speeded in for about ten days did not suit him for jogging. -This yearling trotted eighths in 17¼ seconds, a 2:18 gait. I tried more -weight in front but it did no good. - - - - - XLVI. SLIPPING OR SLIDING TOO MUCH. - - -Slipping will unbalance a horse when trying to get on his stride at -speed; slipping too much on landing or on leaving the ground creates -lost action that cannot be overcome by muscular development. I will cite -a couple of cases here to prove this. A horse that trotted in his work -miles in 2:27 over a half-mile track, when shipped to Rigley, Portland, -Me., could not trot a mile there in 2:45 without being very unsteady, -and this over a mile track. I examined his foot prints and saw he was -slipping too much. I calked his shoes with toe and heel calks, never -changed his feet, and this horse trotted miles in 2:25 without a break. - -A mare that was trotting miles in her work over this same half-mile -track in 2:25 easily, quarters in 33 or 33½ seconds, was shipped to -Portland, Me., to a mile track and could not trot a mile there in 2:40 -without mixing and acting very unsteady. On examining her foot prints I -found she was slipping too much. I was sure her feet were fixed -properly. As she became very unsteady and inclined to mix, I added two -ounces more to her front shoes and gave her a heel and toe calk on hind -and front shoes and she became very steady the next workout, and the -driver told me she could trot a mile in 2:16 or better. - -After the drivers of those two horses found they would get all -unbalanced trying to get on their stride, they did not go to work with -the lines and whip endeavoring to balance up matters, and cruelly abuse -the dumb animals for what they were not responsible, but asked me to -take a look at them. This thing of balancing faulty action with the -lines and whip is a thing of the past, and he who thinks it can be done -has stopped, he may be one of the know-alls and if so is past redemption -and will have to be regenerated to be successful at the profession. - - - - - XLVII. SIDEWEIGHT SHOES. - - -Sideweight shoes are used with good results on horses that wing in to -their knees or knee hitters. Apply the weighty side of shoe on the -inside of foot, fix the outside of the foot from the center of toe to -the outside heel the lowest, it will be good in some cases to have the -outside web of shoe only one-half as thick as that of the inside, the -thinner the outside the better for the winging in. For paddling out the -sideweight shoe is used with the weight on the outside of the foot, be -sure and fix the foot by lowering the inside of foot from center of toe -back to the inside heel, have the inside of foot lower than the outside -for a paddler, and have the outside of foot lower than the inside for a -_front shin_, knee and arm hitter. A hind foot has to be fixed the -lowest on the inside for speedy cutting, shin and hock hitting. A -sideweight shoe is used a lot for speedy cutting, shin and hock hitting, -but if the feet can be properly leveled low enough on the insides, many -horses will go clean, or good gaited without the sideweight shoe, as it -is the extra high inside of hind feet that causes the closing up of the -hind action that makes all the trouble. - -In many cases to help matters as to speedy cutting, shin and hock -hitting the front action has to be examined. The horse may have too much -or not enough front action to work in harmony with the hind action. If -he is going too high or lofty I would reduce the lost lofty action and -increase the extension. If he is going too low I would increase his -front action by shortening his toes and adding several ounces more -weight, sometimes it will require from four to six ounces more weight. -To reduce the high or lofty front action and create more extension lower -the quarters and heels of front feet, shoe with an extra light bar shoe -and have the foot at an angle of from 48 to 50 degrees. In making this -change you will get immediate results, and if necessary you can also -experiment with a toe weight to balance up matters more satisfactorily. - - - - - XLVIII. TOE WEIGHT SHOES. - - -A toeweight shoe is used with good results on front feet to increase the -fold of the knee, more height and reach. This shoe can be used with a -square, round, beveled or sharp toe, or with a grab toe calk as the case -calls for. If your horse is inclined to mix and needs weight to go good -gaited, the sharp toe or one with a grab on it is best. To shorten the -stride, shorten the toes of feet and square or bevel the toes of the -shoe but do not lower the heel any. By increasing the weight of this -shoe and raising the heels you can increase the height of the front -action to your liking. To lengthen the stride in using this shoe, lower -quarters and heels of the front feet to an angle of 48 to 50 degrees and -use the plain toeweight shoe or one with a grab on it. This toeweight -shoe is the best to use on a trotter that is hitching, hopping or -running behind, and when carrying one hind leg between the front ones. -Bevel this shoe from a little to the outside center of toe around the -inside to the quarter or near the heel with a small heel calk. This shoe -must be from one to two ounces more than twice the weight of the shoe -carried on the perfect gaited leg. If the good gaited leg is carrying a -six-ounce shoe this faulty gaited leg or foot will have to carry 13 -ounces, not less, to change the line of action, 14 ounces will be better -than 12 ounces, but the hind foot will have to be the lowest on the -inside, if anything, as it was a high inside of foot that first started -the trouble. A horse that is hitching should not be speeded until the -action or gait of the faulty leg has been balanced, for it is so easily -done. A driver who will try and drive the hitching out of a horse with -the lines and whip is just as much unbalanced as is the dumb animal. - - - - - XLIX. POCKET WEIGHTS. - - -A pocket weight can be used jogging a knee knocker or paddler in the -fall, winter and spring, to develop the muscle required and to prevent -those faulty lines of action, and you can use from five to ten ounces, -as the case may need to the foot of the faulty gaited leg. But be sure -and shoe the foot or feet _very light_, and prepare the feet according -to the chapter in this book on winging in or paddling out. If the feet -are not properly prepared to help the pocket weight to control the -faulty line of action, one will be working against the other, and the -results will be unsatisfactory, but if properly performed as to foot -fixing and weighting, and a little time to bring about the change -results will be good. The hole in foot to receive the spur of the pocket -weight should be about half way between toe and heel to get best -results. The pocket weight should be used on inside of foot for winging -in and on outside of foot for a paddler. - - - - - L. ANKLE HITTING OR INTERFERING. - - -There are so many different causes for this that there is no fixed rule -in shoeing that will apply to all cases. I have seen horses cutting -their hind ankles from the following causes: the foot or feet too high -on the inside, the foot or feet too high on the outside, the foot or -feet too long at the toe, and too low at the heels, all out of -proportion as to the correct angle. Horses that are weak, low in flesh, -and worked beyond their physical capacity, when not able to perform -their daily task without getting leg weary, conformation of some horses -makes them brush, box, or cut their hind ankles. - -The conformation that makes a very bad ankle hitter is one where the -horse stands wedge shaped from his hips down to where his feet rest on -the ground. This kind of a horse will stand with his hind feet close -together or against one another when at rest, horses of this -conformation and without much hock action are the very worst in this -respect. The same treatment will not apply to all cases of ankle -hitting. Unbalanced feet are the main cause for all ankle hitting, when -not caused by some deformity. A farrier with a good eye and good -judgment, on examination of the hind feet, will find out the main cause -of the trouble. Keep the toes of all ankle hitters as short as possible -for the shorter the leverage to break over and leave the ground from, -the straighter the line of action of the leg will be; a middling high -heel, and a very short toe is the best. If the foot or feet are too high -on the inside, lower the insides to a level with the outside, and shoe -with a heel calk, hot rasp the inside of shoes to a bevel. If you find -the foot or feet too high on the outside lower the outside to a level -with the inside, if either foot is winged out, wider on one side of the -leg than the other, edge the foot up until you have an equal portion of -the foot on both sides of the frog measuring from the center of the -frog. This rule applies to all feet in foot fixing. Shoe the same as -above stated. - -I have seen horses cutting their ankles very bad on account of their -heels being too low, and their toes too long. I have stopped this kind -of ankle cutting by raising their heels with a side heelcalk -seven-eighths of an inch high and no toe calk. An ankle cutter, on -account of the inside of feet being too low, and where I could not cut -the outside of foot low enough to compare with the inside, I have got -good results by welding a calk along the inside of the hind shoe or -shoes between the first and third inside nails to make up the -deficiency. A horse that boxes his ankles jogging sluggishly will go -good in short toes, with a square toe shoe and heel calks. - -A horse that cuts his ankles should not be checked too high but should -go in a natural manner without being made to carry his head too high. -The hold-back straps should never be too tight for this hugs their -quarters together and that creates interfering. A horse that is a hard -puller on the lines, when hitched to a light vehicle has a tendency to -box his ankles on account of the hold-back straps hugging his quarters -together. - - - - - IN CONCLUSION. - - -If you have carefully read thus far you may feel conscious that I have -repeated and reiterated again and again certain things in relation to -“fixing feet”. If I have done this more than to you seems necessary, it -is because of the importance of the things repeated, and because of my -desire to impress my readers with their importance. - -If you find herein anything that you are specially interested in, that -to you may seem cloudy or involved, and not clear, I will be pleased to -clarify and elucidate any point by correspondence. - -My life study and work has been in connection with the thing about which -I have herein written. I have been always, and am now, intensely and -vitally interested in this subject, and my reason for putting my ideas -into print is because of my extreme interest in the trotting and pacing -race horse, and also because of a hope that by widening, and extending -to others, the horizon of my experiences, by the means of a printed -book, I may help many a sore horse, as well as many a discouraged -trainer and driver and owner. - - WILLIAM J. MOORE, - Pittsfield, - Berkshire County, - Massachusetts. - - June, 1916. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. Silently corrected obvious typographical errors and variations in - spelling. - 2. Retained archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as printed. - 3. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BALANCING AND SHOEING TROTTING AND -PACING HORSES *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. 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