**Chapter 40: Hoof Care Guide for Thin-Hoofed Horses**
The next morning.
Kitano arrived at Nishiken Ranch, and Ogawa Masaru told him about the break-in from yesterday.
"Using Pegasus to assist with training?"
Kitano put down the cardboard box he was holding, a surprised expression on his face.
"Did it finally start talking?"
It didn't seem too surprising.
After all, it was Pegasus, with an A- "Wisdom" value.
"Animals can't talk no matter what, can they? Kitano-ge, your ideas are too strange."
Ogawa Masaru looked at him with a somewhat strange gaze.
Then, he immediately put into practice the lead horse breaking-in theory he had just learned from his father.
"I see."
Kitano nodded.
He was already quite familiar with a horse's body, but in other aspects, there were indeed many things to learn.
He still had a long way to go.
"Masaru is really amazing."
Admitting that someone else surpasses oneself in a certain aspect is a very difficult thing for an individual human being.
Especially when the other party is a "subordinate" who is inferior in age or seniority.
But for Kitano, there was nothing to be concerned about.
He didn't care too much about what others thought.
"Amazing? Hehe, it's nothing much~"
The young man laughed, both proud and a little shy.
"Masaru is just parroting, Mr. Kitano, don't be fooled by this idiot."
After exposing the truth, Ogawa Kanna revealed a mischievous, triumphant smile.
Ogawa Masaru glared at her, a little annoyed.
"Mr. Shimura is coming to shoe O-chan and Kohana in a bit, why aren't you getting ready?"
Tossing a black strand of hair from the side of her face, the girl glared back, unwilling to be outdone.
"...I know!"
In this round of exchanges, Ogawa Masaru undoubtedly fell to a disadvantage.
The young man picked up the lead rope dejectedly.
"Then I won't disturb you two here."
Kitano smiled and said goodbye to them.
"Goodbye, Kitano-ge."
Saying that, Ogawa Masaru tossed one of the lead ropes to Ogawa Kanna.
"Goodbye, Mr. Kitano."
The girl said softly.
By the time the two led the two yearlings to the area for hoof trimming and bathing, the farrier Shimura was already waiting there.
On the table, various shoeing tools were neatly arranged in a row.
"Thank you for your hard work, Master Shimura."
Handing the one-year-old dark bay horse named "Kohana" to Shimura, Ogawa Kanna bowed slightly in greeting.
"It's nothing, this is all part of our job."
Shimura stroked the dark bay horse's neck all the way down to its white-dyed legs.
He didn't encounter any resistance.
"It's really docile—"
Saying that, he slowly lifted Kohana's left front leg.
"It looks like it's growing very well, its hooves are in very healthy condition!"
Then, he picked up the hoof caliper and began to check the thickness of each area.
Although he sometimes faced accusations of being "inflexible," Shimura preferred to trust accurate data over things like experience or intuition.
For a farrier, meticulousness is essential.
This was the principle he had consistently adhered to throughout his thirty years of work.
"This time, the heel can be kept a little higher."
Putting down the instrument, Shimura said.
Given the current shape of the hoof, the pressure on the toe was slightly too high.
Keeping the heel slightly higher would reduce the pressure on the toe.
Maintaining a certain arch in the sole of the hoof was for the same reason.
He put on the new horseshoe and then used a rasp to file off the protruding parts of the nails.
Releasing the hoof he had clamped between his legs, Shimura massaged his somewhat sore lower back.
Then, it was the next horse.
"Are you Kobayashi Ricky's child?"
He greeted the Kurige horse in front of him.
Although it wasn't its first shoeing, Ocean Fleet 2024 still showed considerable tension.
"Relax, O-chan."
Ogawa Masaru continuously comforted the startled Kurige horse.
"It's really small, it must be hard to run."
Shifting his gaze from the body, Shimura began to observe the Kurige horse's legs.
It was a bit surprising; they weren't as slender as their bodies.
He touched it slightly.
The connection between the hoof and the fetlock was on the softer side.
The muscles also had a texture that suggested strength.
"It looks like it has legs that can perform very well."
He couldn't help but feel regret.
However, this was a very common occurrence.
Otherwise, the "perfect racehorse" would not have become the ultimate goal pursued by generations of horsemen.
Lifting the Kurige horse's hoof, Shimura again picked up the hoof caliper.
"It's a very small size, and the hoof wall is a bit thin."
Ocean Fleet 2024's hoof wall keratin layer thickness was only 6.5 mm, whereas normally, a horse's hoof capsule thickness should be around 8-12 mm.
An overly thin hoof wall would lead to reduced weight-bearing capacity and also make it prone to cracking and becoming sensitive.
After some consideration, Shimura decided to replace the Kurige horse's previous farrier's full-coverage horseshoe with a lighter aluminum one.
Full-coverage horseshoes can expand the weight-bearing area and disperse pressure on the sole of the hoof as much as possible.
However, a disadvantage is that long-term use of full-coverage horseshoes might restrict the natural growth of the hoof, making this thin-hoofed condition more severe.
While the horseshoe was heating, Shimura used a hoof pick to clean the dirt and excess keratin from the bottom of the hoof.
Then, he used a hoof tester to check the pressure distribution across the hoof.
"The hind hooves need to be a bit steeper... the front hooves can maintain their current angle..."
With a rough plan in mind, he picked up the hoof knife at his feet.
Like a sculptor in creation, every cut was chosen with great care.
After completing the trimming of the hoof, he shifted his attention to the softened horseshoe.
Based on the memory in his mind, he hammered the horseshoe into the corresponding shape.
Then, he pressed the horseshoe onto the sole of the hoof.
It was a perfect fit.
Ocean Fleet 2024 seemed startled by the rising white smoke and trembled uneasily.
"Sorry, could you help me with that?"
Before officially starting the shoeing, one more thing needed to be prepared.
He took the small box handed to him by Ogawa Masaru and took out the pink silicone from it.
After a simple kneading, he pressed the silicone, which looked like chewed gum, into the concave part in the middle of the sole.
After the cushioning silicone pad, came the horseshoe itself.
Even without room for nailing, it was now possible to shoe thin-hoofed horses using adhesive.
Although a bit complicated, it was finally completed successfully.
After all four hooves were reshod, Shimura was drenched in sweat.
"This child should have its horseshoes changed every four to five weeks. Also, you could try supplementing it with biotin or feeding it flaxseed or similar things."
Shimura said while bending down to apply hoof oil.
Although lightweight, aluminum horseshoes are not as durable as the iron horseshoes of the past.
Furthermore, for trimming thin-hoofed horses, the principle of "more and less" should be followed—
Observe frequently, trim sparingly.
With the horseshoes on, Shimura gestured for Ogawa Masaru to lead the Kurige horse for a few steps.
Its gait was quite normal, with no abnormalities.
Perfect.