"ROUGHING."
In winter, ice, snow, and frost, render roads slippery, and it is
necessary to provide some arrangement whereby horses may have the
greatest security of foot-hold. In countries such as Canada or Russia,
where a regular winter sets in at a tolerably uniform date and
continues without intermission for some months, it is easier to adopt
a good system of "roughing" than in Great Britain. There, on a thick
layer of ice or snow, sharp projections on the shoes cut into the
surface and afford foot-hold. The edge of the projections is not soon
blunted, and when once properly placed their duration is as long as the
time desirable for retaining the shoe. Here, very different conditions
obtain. Sometimes a week or two of frost and snow may prevail, but more
frequently the spells of wintry weather are counted by days. Two or
three days of frost and then two or three days of mud and slush, to be
followed by either dry hard roads or a return of ice and snow, is our
usual winter. We require during this time to provide for occasional
days, or more rarely for weeks, of frost-bound roads. Our horses' shoes
wear about a month and then require replacing by new ones. When roads
are hard and dry we want no sharp ridges or points about our horses
shoes, and yet we must always be able at twenty-four hours notice to
supply some temporary arrangement which will ensure foot-hold.
The necessity for "roughing" and the evil effects of continuing to
work unroughed horses on slippery frost-bound roads is demonstrated in
London every winter by a very significant fact. If after three days of
ice and snow, anyone will visit a horse-slaughterers' yard, he will
find the place full of dead horses which have fallen in the streets and
suffered incurable or fatal injury. A sudden and severe attack of ice
and snow half paralyses the horse traffic of a large town for a day or
two, and many owners will sooner keep their horses in the stable than
go to the expense of having them roughed. The loss in civil life from
unpreparedness for ice and snow is very serious, but the loss which
has fallen upon military movements from similar neglect is appalling.
Napoleon's rout from Moscow in 1814, Bourbaki's flight into Switzerland
in 1871, and the Danish retreat upon Koenigsgratz in 1865 are terrible
instances of the frightful loss sustained when horses are unable to
keep on their feet at a walk, let alone drag guns and wagons over an
ice-covered surface.
[Illustration: Fig. 65.--Frost-nails, various.]
A well-managed stud of horses which is required to face all weather and
to work every day through an English winter should, from December 1st
to March 1st, be shod in such a manner as to be easily and speedily
provided with mechanism which will afford secure foot-hold. This may be
effected by the use of moveable steel "roughs" or "sharps." Of course
the cost is the argument against them, but this should be considered
in view of the probability or certainty of loss which will follow
from neglect. If we allow common humanity to animals to enter into
the consideration, economy will be served by adopting a well arranged
system of roughing. Every good horseman appreciates the enormity of
over-loading, but neglect of roughing causes just as much cruelty. A
horse that on a good road can properly draw a ton would be considered
over-loaded with two tons, and his struggles to progress would at once
attract attention. The same animal with half a ton on an ice-covered
surface would suffer more exhaustion, fatigue, and fright, and run more
risk of fatal injury than in the case of the over-loading, but his
owner who would indignantly repudiate the one condition will designedly
incur the other.
Probably this is only thoughtlessness, but it is a reflection on the
prudence of a manager, and certainly not flattering to the feelings or
intelligence of a man.
There are many ways of providing foot-hold for a horse on ice and snow.
The most simple and temporary proceeding is to use frost-nails. Fig. 65
shows various sizes and shapes of these articles.
They are not driven through the hoof like ordinary nails, but through
the shoe only, which is prepared for their reception at the time of
fitting. A shoe to carry frost-nails is fitted a little wider than
usual at the heels and has at its extremities, or more often at its
outer extremities, countersunk holes stamped and directed outwards
so that the frost-nail can be safely driven through by anyone and
its shank turned down over the shoe. There is a difficulty in firmly
securing them, they are apt to work loose and then become bent and
useless. If used on the inside heel of a shoe they constitute a danger
to the opposite leg should they bend and protrude from under the shoe.
As a temporary provision against a sudden frost or fall of snow they
are useful--but they are only a make-shift.
The more permanent and effective system of "roughing" consists in
removing the shoes and turning down a sharp chisel projection at the
heels. In very bad weather a projecting edge is also laid across the
toe of the shoe.
[Illustration: Fig. 66.--Heels of Fore and Hind Shoes, sharped.]
The diagrams show the method of "sharping" a front and hind shoe at
the heels only. The hind shoe, having calkins, is not much altered.
The smith simply converts the square calkin into a sharp-edged one.
The fore shoe having no calkins is turned down at the heels to afford
enough iron to form the 'sharp.' But this shortens the shoe, and if it
be repeated two or three times, as it often is, the bearing surface is
spoiled, and the slightest carelessness in fitting the shoe causes a
bruised heel. 'Roughing' is generally done in a hurry. A dozen horses
reach the farrier's shop at one time and all desire to return to
work with as little delay as possible. The work is perforce hurried
through, careful fitting cannot be done, and bad-footed horses suffer
accordingly. The dotted lines in Fig. 66 show the original length of
shoe, and the shortening which results from a second roughing.
All horse-owners know how many lame horses result from the repeated
roughings necessitated by a week or two of wintry weather. Some of
this is inevitable from the rush and hurry which cannot be prevented.
Valuable horses with weak feet should not be submitted to any such
risk. They should be shod with removable sharps. The mere fact of
removing a horse's shoes perhaps five or six times in a month must
injure the hoof. Add to this the shortening of the shoe, the raising
of the heel by the roughing, and the irregular bearing due to hurried
fitting and we have conditions which only the very strongest feet can
endure without serious injury.
[Illustration: Fig. 67.--Toe Sharp.]
For heavy draught horses, and for all where the roads are hilly, the
toes as well as the heels must be 'sharped' when ice and snow are
firm on the surface. Fig. 67 shows this arrangement at the toe. The
removable steel "sharps," of which I have spoken, are certainly the
least objectionable method of providing foot-hold in winter. They are
made in various sizes to suit all kinds of shoes. They vary in shape
somewhat, but their form is more a matter of fancy than utility. One in
each heel of a shoe is the usual number used but if snow and ice are
plentiful and the roads hilly two additional "sharps" may be placed at
the toe of the shoe.
[Illustration: Fig. 68.--Removable Steel Sharp.]
[Illustration: Fig. 69.--Steel Sharps, screw.]
At the time of fitting the shoes, holes are made by first punching a
round hole through the heels--and through the toe if desired--then the
hole is 'tapped' and a thread formed to fit it in the shank of the
sharp which is to fill it. If the sharps are not immediately wanted
the holes may be filled with corks to keep out the grit and dirt. When
corks are used the wear of the shoe causes a burr to form round the
edge of the hole, and before the sharp can be screwed in a "tap" must
be worked into each hole to clear the thread. One great objection to
this method is that as the shoe wears it becomes thinner, and if much
worn the shank of the "sharp" may be too long, and when screwed home
cause pressure upon the hoof and consequent lameness. To guard against
this steel "blanks" are used to preserve the holes, and when a frost
comes they are removed and the "sharps" put in.
The blanks vary in height and of course those least in height are best
for the horse's action, but they must not be allowed to get so worn
that it is impossible to remove them. These blanks are shown below.
[Illustration: Fig. 70.--Blanks, screwed.]
[Illustration: Fig. 71.--Steel Sharps and Blank, Plug shanks.]
The "tapping" and "screwing" of shoes is expensive, and in small shops
must be done by hand. In large shops a gas engine and a machine would
reduce the cost very greatly, and if the system came into general use
this method of providing against frost-bound roads could be carried
out at much less cost than now. With a view to economy and simplicity
a sharp has been invented which requires no screw. The shank may be
either round or square. A hole is punched in the heel of the shoe and
carefully gauged to the size of the shank of the "sharp." The sharp is
then put in and a tap of the hammer secures it. The difficulty is to
get the hole in the shoe and the shank of the sharp of corresponding
form and size. When this is done the sharp keeps its place and is not
difficult to remove. Too often, however, they are not uniform, and then
the sharp falls out or sometimes cannot be removed. When the holes are
drilled instead of punched the fit is more exact, but this only applies
to those with a round shank. A slight taper is given both to the hole
and the shank of the "sharp." As with the screw sharps so with these,
blanks are used to keep the holes open until the road-surface requires
the sharp.
[Illustration: Fig. 72.--Steel Taps for screwing shoes.]
No sharps should be left in shoes when the horses are stabled at
night, as serious injuries to the coronet may result from a tread by
the opposite foot. The coachman or horse-keeper must be supplied with
a spanner to remove the screws, and with a tap to clear the holes if
blanks are not used.
For roads not badly covered with snow and ice, sufficient security is
afforded by some forms of india-rubber pads, which will be described in
a future chapter.