[Illustration: 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 in
cases 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.
[Illustration: Anvil. Stool. Staple. Pointing Stake. Punch. Shoe.]
[Illustration: 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 to great heat by the huge bellows
fastened above it; it also contains an _anvil_, on which the _horseshoes_
are made or shaped, a _stool_ on which the Farrier sometimes sits to
examine a horse’s hoof, and _staples_ and _rings_, 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 the _buffer_
and if the shoe does not then come off easily, loosens some of the nails
with the _punch_, till it can be gently removed. When the shoe is off he
rasps the edge of the hoof all round, and with the _nippers_ or 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
and skill as well as a good deal of practice in the use of the _drawing
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.
[Illustration: 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 nails sink, 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 the
_chisel_, _turning hammer_, _swage_ and _pretchel_, while for the work
at the forge he has had to employ the _poker_, the _tongs_ for holding
the shoe on the _anvil_, the _slice_ for taking small things from the
fire, and the _damper_, 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.
[Illustration: Nail. Nail Bag. Shoeing Hammer.]
The Farrier generally makes his own _nails_ since 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 the horse’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.
[Illustration: 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 the _fleam_ when 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. The _ladle_ for melting the ingredients of ointment, for
sprains or swellings, and the _spatula_ for 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.