_Ticklish_ horses must be taken hold of boldly, for light touches of the hand are to such animals much more unpleasant than energetic, rough handling. Many ticklish horses allow their feet to be raised when they are grasped suddenly without any preparatory movements. C. Removing the Old Shoes. If a horse’s hoofs are healthy, all the shoes may be taken off at the same time, but there are certain diseases of the hoof in which this should not be done. The rule to follow in removing every shoe is to _draw it cautiously_, not wrench it away with violence. Hoofs which are dirty should first be cleansed, preferably with a stiff brush. Next, the clinches should be _carefully_ lifted by means of a rather dull clinch cutter (Fig. 93), _without injuring the horn_ of the wall. In order, now, that the nails may be removed singly, the shoe must be slightly lifted. This may be done in one of two ways. The shoer may use a pair of pincers (Fig. 94), with broad bills which will encompass the branch of the shoe and come well together underneath it. The handles of the pincers are then moved _in the direction of the branches_ of the shoe. The second method consists in raising the branches of the shoe by driving the nail-cutter from behind between the shoe and hoof and using it as a lever or pry to loosen the shoe. [Illustration: FIG. 93. Clinch cutter and punch.] [Illustration: FIG. 94. Pincers.] Violent and excessive twisting of the hoof and straining of ligaments may easily occur, but the smith should guard against them by supporting the hoof with the left hand or with the leg just above the knee, while loosening the shoe. D. Preparing the Hoof for the Shoe. This preparation is usually termed paring, trimming, or dressing. It is a most important step in the process of shoeing, and its object is to shorten the hoof, which has grown too long under the projection of the shoe, and prepare it to receive the new shoe. The instruments needed for this work are the rasp and the hoof-knife (Fig. 95); upon large and hard hoofs a pair of sharp nippers (Fig. 96), or a sharp =hewing knife, with broad handle and perfectly flat, smooth sides=, may be used, since these instruments will considerably facilitate and hasten the work. [Illustration: FIG. 95. German hoof set with detachable hook blades. (W. M. Kunde, Dresden): _a_, _a_, hoof blades; _b_, pus searcher; _c_, scalpel.]