THE FARRIER.

FARRIER’S SHED.

When we remember how usefully horses are employed for our advantage, how generously and willingly they work, and how docile and obedient they are when properly treated, we shall begin to see that the trade of the Farrier is one which should be studied very carefully, and that nobody should follow the business who has not become tolerably skilful. The Farrier who shoes the horses, is very often consulted when those animals are ill, so that he should have some knowledge of simple remedies incases when the veterinary surgeon lives at a distance, or is out of the way. Especially the Farrier should thoroughly understand the construction of the horse’s hoof, which, hard and simple as it may look, is very delicate, and is composed of several important parts.

One thing should never be forgotten in shoeing a horse,—first that, although the hoof is a hard horny covering, it has an inside portion which is very tender and liable to be hurt; and secondly, that the hoof itself expands as the weight of the horse presses upon it.

Anvil. Stool. Staple. Pointing Stake. Punch. Shoe.

Nippers. Drawing Knife. Rasp. Buffer.

The Farrier’s shed is fitted with a forge, or furnace where the iron is heated, and in which the fire is blown togreat heat by the huge bellows fastened above it; it also contains ananvil, on which thehorseshoesare made or shaped, astoolon which the Farrier sometimes sits to examine a horse’s hoof, andstaplesandrings, to which the horses’ heads are fastened by halters during the process of shoeing. When a horse is taken to be shod, the Farrier should begin by taking off one of the old shoes. He first raises the clenches with a tool called thebufferand if the shoe does not then come off easily, loosens some of the nails with thepunch, till it can be gently removed. When the shoe is off he rasps the edge of the hoof all round, and with thenippersor pincers takes out any stubs that may be left in the hoof. He then pares the hard portions of the foot, and this is an operation which requires great care andskill as well as a good deal of practice in the use of thedrawing knife. The Farrier must always remember the state of the roads when he is paring the horse’s feet, for if the roads are dry and stony he must take off very little of the horn, or the foot will be bruised.

Fulter. Damper. Slice. Pretchel. Swage. Tongs. Turning Hammer.

The horseshoes are frequently purchased by the Farrier of the Blacksmith who makes them, but some Farriers are also Smiths, and both make and fit the horseshoes. In either case the Farrier keeps a stock of rough shoes which he alters at the time that they are wanted, so that they may fit the horse, and one of the first things to be done is to make the groove all round the shoe, and drill the holes in it for the nails. This groove, in which the heads of the nailssink, is called the “fuller,” and the tool with which it is made is also called the “fuller,” or “fulter.” Having cut off the ends or heels of the shoe, made the fuller, and opened the nail holes, the Farrier next makes what is called the “clip,” which means turning up the toe of the shoe, to prevent its being forced back on the hoof. In these parts of his work he has probably used thechisel,turning hammer,swageandpretchel, while for the work at the forge he has had to employ thepoker, thetongsfor holding the shoe on theanvil, theslicefor taking small things from the fire, and thedamper, which is a wisp of wet straw held by wooden tongs for lessening the heat of the shoe during hammering. He next begins to fit the shoe, the horse being tied up to the staple in the wall of the shed. The fitting of the shoe is an operation requiring the greatest care and attention, and the good Farrier will spare no pains to do his work perfectly, as many a valuable horse has been ruined by an ill-fitting shoe. When the shoe is fitted it is “filed up,” by which all roughness is removed from the edges of the nail holes, and the sharp edges of the shoe itself are taken off.

Nail. Nail Bag. Shoeing Hammer.

The Farrier generally makes his ownnailssince they are of a peculiar shape, and the heads should completely fill the nail holes, that they may not allow the shoe to shift on thehorse’s hoof. They are made from long rods of iron called nail rods, and when finished are spread about the smithy to cool, because when they are allowed to cool gradually they become harder, and less liable to break.

If the nails are of a proper shape, the holes straight through the shoe, and the shoe fits the foot, very little skill is required to nail it on, and clench the ends of the nails to the hoof. Before the shoe is nailed on, however, it is usual, when the horse has tender feet, to cover the sole of the foot with leather, gutta-percha, or felt made waterproof, “felt” being made of woollen cloth torn to shreds which are then pressed together and formed into sheets. In any case the Farrier is expected to “stop the foot,” that is, to fill the hollow and tender portion of the foot within the shoe, with tow or oakum dipped in tar.

Fleam. Stamp. Scissors. Ladle and Spatula. Brush. Poker. Reaching Iron.

The shoe is now nailed on, and a good Farrier will often be able to secure it with only five nails.

The hind shoes are of course different in shape to those which are placed on the fore feet, and it is generally necessary to use seven nails to fix them on to the hoofs, since the hind foot expands less than the fore, and there is more drag upon it when the horse is in motion, so that the shoe is more easily shifted.

The time at which a horse’s shoes want removing depends on several causes. If a horse wear out his shoes in less than a month they had better not be removed, but whether the shoes are worn or not the horse’s hoofs should be looked to by the Farrier, every three or four weeks, as the hoofs sometimes outgrow the shoes, and the shoes require refitting.

From what has been said about the Farrier’s business it will be seen that it is a most important one, but besides the knowledge and experience required for the more mechanical part of his work, he should also know something of the diseases and ailments of horses, and be able to apply the proper remedies.

It is true that this part of the business belongs properly to the veterinary surgeon, but the Farrier should at all events understand what is proper to be done in any ordinary disorder or in cases of emergency. He will of course know how to use thefleamwhen the animals require bleeding, as they frequently do. This instrument is a sort of knife, the sharp part of which is the small spade-shaped pieces at the ends of the blades. Theladlefor melting the ingredients of ointment, for sprains or swellings, and thespatulafor mixing it, or for spreading and mixing the drugs for boluses or the large pills frequently given to horses, are some of the instruments used in this part of the Farrier’s business.

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