The Art of Horse-Shoeing: A Manual for Farriers

Hunting, William, 1846-1913Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.2
Word count
200K words
Chapters
20

Tags

English Originals Agriculture Forestry LivestockCrafts CraftsmanshipFarrieryHorse CareStep-by-Step GuidePractical GuideVocational Training

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Art of Horse-Shoeing: A Manual for Farriers by William HuntingAuthor: Hunting, William, 1846-1913,Language: English, Class: SF: Agriculture: Animal culture, Release Date: May 29, 2015

Editor's review

This is a practical manual for farriers, centered on making and fitting horseshoes; it belongs to the traditional craft literature of agriculture and animal husbandry. Its value lies in bringing craft details down to concrete operations: the structure and trimming of the hoof, forging and fitting the iron, the force and angle when nailing—all point to judgment gained in actual work. For today's learners it is both a piece of the history of horse care and an introductory reference for understanding traditional farriery. Note that the tools, materials, and working conditions bear clear marks of their time, and some practices differ from contemporary veterinary and farriery practice; read it as a historical craft text, and still consult professionals for specific matters concerning horse health.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Not a good fit for

Reading tips

  1. Read the sections on hoof structure and trimming first to build basic understanding before the forging and nailing chapters.
  2. As you read, compare the illustrations with the process descriptions and organize the steps in order into your own working notes.
  3. For old-style tools and terms, consult craft sources of the same period or modern farriery textbooks for comparison.
  4. If reading purely for interest, prioritize the fitting and nailing chapters and skip laborious forging detail.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20

FAQ

Can a complete beginner shoe a horse by following this book? Not advisable. Shoeing involves hoof anatomy, trimming force, and nailing angle; improper work can injure the horse. This book is a historical craft manual, and its tools and practices have period limitations. Beginners can read it to understand the craft, but actual work should involve professional training and supervision by an experienced practitioner.
Is the technical content still applicable today? Some basic principles retain reference value, such as the general approach to hoof trimming and fitting the iron; but tools, materials, and working conditions have changed, and some practices differ from contemporary farriery. Distinguish transferable craft principles from outdated specific operations; do not copy the whole.
Is this suitable as an introductory textbook for horse care? It is better as a specialized reader on traditional farriery than a comprehensive horse-care textbook. The book focuses on shoeing and does not cover feeding, disease prevention, and broader topics. For systematic study of horse care, use it as a supplement alongside modern professional textbooks.

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About the author

Hunting, William, 1846-1913 Author · British · 1846–1913

William Hunting (1846–1913) was a British veterinary surgeon, best known for founding and editing The Veterinary Record. Public information about his early education, professional career, and specific posts is limited, and existing accounts focus mainly on his connection with this professional journal. Apart from his editorial work, the library holds only one work by him, The Art of Horse-Shoeing: A Manual for Farriers, a technical manual for farriers that discusses the craft and methods of horse shoeing. The book belongs to the practical literature of veterinary medicine and horse care; it is written mainly as operational guidance, in clear and concise language, with an emphasis on practical application. Such manuals had practical reference value for horse use and veterinary practice at the time, and they offer a concrete example of British farriery and veterinary technical publishing in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.