THE FORM AND MANUFACTURE OF SHOES 



6G5 



than the outer, but a contracted foot is affected on both sides of the fro^, 

 and thus there is more mischief done to the outer heel than good to the 

 inner. The principle of avoiding confinement of the heel by nailing is good, 

 but the practice of sacrificing the outer one to the inner is not to be recom- 

 mended, where it is possible to avoid injury to either. As I before re- 

 marked, conti\action takes place in the back part of the foot and not at the 

 toe, and a nail di'iven considerably in front of the middle of the quarter has 

 no prejudicial efiect in confining the heel. 



6. The half-moon shoe was strongly recommended by Professor Coleman, 

 in the belief that unless the frog touches the ground it is impossible to keep 

 up a due secretion of the parts which depend upon that organ for their 



Fig. 122. 



proper size and situation. His shoe was flat towards the foot, and concave 

 like the hunting shoe (Fig. 120) on the ground side of the sole, and would 

 allow of sufiicient parting out to give space between the two. If this could 

 not be done, the usual kind of concave seating (Fig. 119) was adopted. The 

 toe was made of the usual thickness, the web becoming gradually thinner 

 till it was reduced to one-third at the back of the quarter, where it ended. 

 In preparing the foot the toe was lowered considerably, so as to make up 

 for the difference in the thickness of the shoe, and thus take off the extra 

 jar which would otherwise be thrown upon it, and the additional strain on 

 the flexor tendons and suspensory ligament. Mr. Coleman did not expect 

 that any unsound foot could bear this shoe, nor that it could be used on any 

 horse whose heels had long been protected by iron, without a considerable 

 preparation by gradual work, but he thought that if adopted from the first 

 the frog and heels would bear the friction of our roads without suffering, 

 and if so, that the contraction would be entirely prevented. The plan was 

 tried on the Royal Artillery horses, and was reported on favoui'abl}', but it 

 was not long persevered in, and has never since, so far as I know, been 

 reintroduced. It is excellent in principle, but the general opinion is that, 



