Door-fitting (horse)

Origins of the door-fitting

Unrolled operational

The tools used are presented in the article Marshal-shoeing.

Removal of iron

First of all, the marshal “removes iron” using the mailloche, of “dérivoir” and the “tricoise to be removed iron” (less cutting than the normal tricoise with a broader opening). it rectifies the rivets then seizes iron in the nozzle of the tricoise and, of a movement of lever, separates it of the foot by taking care not to damage the horn and the plate

Trimming

Then the trimming comes: using the rennet, paring knife and mailloche, grater and grip to be avoided it cuts the surplus of horn (which was not eliminated by wear because of presence from the iron).

All the difficulty of the trade lies in the trimming which conditions the success of the door-fitting. The rule is “to find the good meeting of the plate and the white line”. Indeed if the foot is not " avoided balance " (not " droit" compared to the conformation of the horse) even of well adjusted irons will force the locomotion of this last.

Generally the grip to be avoided is used for largest of what there is to avoid, then the “rennet” cleans the plate and the fork, the “paring knife” making it possible to have a quite plane surface. The grater is used in completion, except for the trimming of the wall (the vertical part of the foot) which is paramount.

Choice of iron

It is then necessary to choose the size of iron adapted, like its model. The most current sizes are of the 0 of the 1 and 2. They go from the 6x0 (smallest, for Poney S) to the 8 (horses draft, almost 30 cm diameter). Certain marshals directly manufacture iron starting from an iron stem. The marshal the met then to heat in order to work them easily.

Fitting of irons: turning and ajusture

To adjust irons, marshal realizes first of all “notch” on former in part of shoe that one names “grip” (in front of, and in alignment of fork) where will come to place the “pinçon” (except if iron chosen comprises two of them on the sides or even sometimes no) using paring knife and mailloche, or sometimes with the grip to be avoided.

At the same time he memorizes the shape of the foot (the turning ) in order to most accurately reproduce it possible on his hot mechanical irons, using the hammer of forging mill, of the clippers and the Enclume. He carries out the " then; tournure" (the form adapted to the foot) and the ajusture (generally on the former ones allows that the plate is not compressed on the iron) which consists in making a Chanfrein on internal bank of iron, out of grip, on the higher face of the foot (in contact with the plate).

It practices also a “statement of grip” which, as its name indicates it, raises the grip of iron to facilitate the departure of the foot (a little as on our shoes, where generally before rectifies itself slightly).

Hot installation of iron

Once it carried out its turning, the marshal must “pose hot”. For that it is provided with a grater, iron to be posed held by the clippers, and of a compass, or a tool whose arms are pointed in order to be able to apply iron to the foot.

For that it positions the ends of the compass or the tool in both " deuxièmes" étampures (holes) of iron, in order to be able to pose it on the foot without being gene.

It is said that it “burns” or “poses hot”. It takes care well to position iron “in the direction of the fork” i.e. in the axis of the foot. It must then quickly analyze what it sees to know if iron rests well uniformly on the foot, and if its turning corresponds well to the foot. It observes also the position of the étampures (holes leaving of small places not flarings) in order to know if the nails will return well in the white line and not in the wall (too much fragile) nor too towards the interior (risk to prick and wound the horse). The marshal turns over to the anvil to rectify turning, until obtaining satisfaction. He can then the soak in water “to cool it”.

Stitching

It is the moment of stitching. The marshal chooses nails adapted to the size of iron and to the nature of the foot (it can choose a finer size for a horse of which the feet are fragile for example) and it will stitch iron using the shoeing-hammer while having taken care to grate the heels slightly in order not to prevent them from “opening” at the time of deadened foot.

The nails must arise on the same line, as far as possible: neither too high (they are likely to compress the foot), nor too low (risk of pulling up).

Riveting and completion

It now remains “to rivet” irons. For this stage, one provides oneself with the tricoises, the “fuller”, a “mailloche” and a grater, or sometimes of a grip to rivet American (also called “grip croco”).

First of all the points of the nails are cut, then one obviously practices one still in lower part with the fuller.

One subdues then the nail with the mailloche by maintaining the heel of the tricoise close to the point of the nail crossed, so that progressively blows of hammers the end of the nail bends slightly.

Then, by maintaining the tricoises on the level of the head of the nail (under iron) to prevent that it does not go down again, one folds back the ends of the nails in the notch péalablement carried out.

A good rivet must be solid and also unperceivable when one passes the finger above. The American grip grips the nail between the head and the cut end and one bends it by closing again the grip.

One finishes then by conscientiously grating the shoe not to leave no abrasive element while avoiding grating the rivets (that weakens them).

Frequency of door-fitting

A horse is shoed all the six to nine weeks according to the duration of the periods of work and pasture.

An alternative to the door-fitting: natural trimming

See the article trimming.

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