Take a side view of your horse as he is driven by and locate the faulty action, you will be able to tell if it is too short, too long, too high or too low, too rapid or too dwelly, front or hind action. If the lost action is in front as to height, extension or rapidity, fix the feet to help the shoes to perfect the action. If the front action is too low shorten the toes, leave the heels high or raise them with shoe or side calks and shoe with a shoe five or six ounces heavier, more or less, as the action requires, use a square or bevel toe shoe. A rolling toe shoe is good on slow-going horses, the horse should carry his head higher than usual. If the front action is too high, lower the quarters and heels as low as they will stand, and shoe with a light shoe, and if there is not extension enough use a toe weight to balance up action, the horse should carry his head lower, or natural. If the hind action is too low shorten toes as much as they will stand and add several ounces more weight and raise the heels a half inch or more. If hind action is too high lower quarters and heels as low as they will stand, keeping plenty of toe on hind feet and shoe with a very light shoe to prevent slipping. If he is handling his hind legs too rapid for the front ones, this last sentence will remedy that also. I have seen obstinate forgers at a slow gait stopped by carrying from two to three times more weight on the hind feet than in the front feet, and vice versa, according to their front or hind action.
This is a very dangerous fault. When a horse is making speed and begins scalping, he is unbalanced quite bad, he needs changing before being speeded again for if you don’t he or she will get rough gaited, or will begin carrying the hind leg between front ones, hopping, or trying to run with hind action. The first thing to do is to examine the hind feet, you are likely to find the hind feet a lot higher on the inside than on the outside nine times out of ten. Some horses will begin scalping after their feet get too long. In horses with excessive action, carrying too much weight in front will cause scalping at speed. Horses with very little action in front and not carrying weight enough will be liable to scalp at speed. When shoeing for scalping use a square toe shoe, light or heavy, as may be required by the front action.