XXXI. CONVERTING A TROTTER TO THE PACE.
Shorten and lower the toes of all four feet, do not touch the quarters or heels of front or hind feet. The weight of the shoes will vary on different horses. On a youngster I would put a five or six-ounce concaved shoe in front, and about nine or ten ounces behind, with toe and heel calk. On an older horse the weight at both front and hind can be correspondingly heavier, about eight ounces front and eleven or twelve ounces, with heel and toe calks behind. Now when hitched ready to go for the first lesson, check the head as high as the horse or colt can carry it without causing pain and misery to the neck. If he paces any, a half mile up to a mile and a half is enough for the first three or four lessons. If he acts good do not let him go too fast for the first week or ten days, you must take two or three weeks before asking him to step. The angle of the front feet should be about 55 degrees and the angle of the hind feet should be about 59 degrees.
Some horses that go into a singlefoot or strike a pace occasionally can be easily converted to the pace by shoeing light in front and heavier behind, from three to five ounces more weight in each hind shoe than he is carrying in his front shoes. If he does not take to the pace readily add more weight to hind shoes, and bevel or roll the toes of shoes, and check head higher. You need a short natural foot all around to convert to the pace. The angle of the feet will vary according to their pasterns. If the horse has a long oblique pastern, shorten the toes hind and front as much as they will allow to be safe, and do not touch the heels.
I used this method of converting Joe Patchen II from the trot to the pace, and many others. They could not make him strike a pace and after fixing his feet and shoeing him he went out on the track and paced an eighth of a mile in eighteen seconds after having been driven at the trot for over a year.