Page:Horse shoes and horse shoeing.djvu/677

 very thin either over the whole surface, or in one of its branches. When the shoe lasts for a long period—six weeks or two months—without being removed, the hoof usually becomes unnaturally long, widens at its under surface, and the iron being carried forward with the growth becomes buried within the crust. The horse moves awkwardly, stumbles, goes on his heels, and an undue strain is thrown on the flexor tendons and the posterior regions of the limb.

The period during which a shoe ought to wear, or be allowed to remain on the foot, depends upon circumstances. Unless in very exceptional circumstances, it should not be suffered to remain longer than four or five weeks, and neither should a horse be shod more frequently than once in three weeks or a month. It must be always remembered, that an excess of growth is far less injurious than too frequent shoeing.

It is easy to distinguish when the shoe is worn out; though some people, whenever the outer margin of the iron at the toe is worn away—and though the horse may not have been shod the full period—become alarmed, and have the animal re-shod.

So long as the shoe remains firmly attached, this wear is of little importance. If the horse has not been shod a month, I allow him to go until the plate nearly or quite breaks through at the point of wear, as he only removes that horn from the front of the hoof which must be taken away by the rasp in the operation of shoeing. This enables me to order lighter shoes to be worn.

Some horses have naturally long feet, and when they rest on the ground they appear to require 'shortening.' If