To prepare the feet on a speedy cutter, rasp down or lower the inside of foot from centre of toe back to inside heel to a level or a fraction lower than the outside of the foot, have the toes of both feet the same length, and at the angle he shows the most speed with. Shoe with a sideweight shoe, the heavy side of shoe on the outside of foot and calked to prevent slipping.
To shorten the hind stride use a light shoe, raise the heels and shorten the toes of the hind feet as much as they will stand. To lengthen the stride of the hind feet, lower the quarters and heels to a longer angle to leave the ground from, and add several ounces more weight than the horse has been carrying to each shoe; the inside edges of hind shoes from the toe back to quarters should be beveled off. The edges of front shoes should be beveled off on both outside and inside.
The late Freeman M. Dodge of Pittsfield, Mass., trainer and driver, had a bay mare by the name of “Tillie Wilkes” that was speedy cutting so bad that he was not able to work her, and he came to me to find out if I could stop her from speedy cutting. I told him I could not tell until I saw her driven. He brought her over and drove her down the stretch at a three minute gait. This mare had a sore spot on the lower inside of one hind ankle that was raw, the size of a silver dollar and when she began touching this spot, speedy cutting, she would jump and begin running. After seeing this mare driven I found she had excessive action in front and very lofty, and her hind action mostly all stifle action and very little hock action and her feet were in bad shape. She was driven over the next day to be shod and I had her shoes ready when she arrived. I fixed this mare’s front feet by lowering her quarters and heels as much as nature would allow me, and left all the toe possible. This gave her a longer leverage to leave the ground from, which kept her from breaking over so quick, and it reduced her lofty knee action and created more extension. I took off a twelve-ounce shoe from each of her front feet, and applied a four-ounce aluminum shoe.
Fixing her hind feet and shoeing them was the most important. I shortened the toes and lowered the inside of each hind foot until the inside of them was as low as the outside or a shade lower if anything. I fitted a pair of heavy sideweight shoes, the heavy side of the shoes on the outside of the hind feet, each hind shoe weighed about eleven ounces with heel calks. This job stopped all the speedy cutting and she trotted quarters in 31 seconds shortly after, and was sold to Mr. Shults for $750.00.