THE SEATED SHOE 369 



mediately within and above its ground surface, per- 

 mitting the frog to rest sufficiently on the ground, so 

 as to act as a wedge, and produce a tendency to 

 expansion in the quarters ; while at the same time it 

 is protected from the injury it would sustain if it 

 reached the ground with the full and first shock of the 

 weight. In the common shoe the ground surface is a 

 little convex, and its inward rim first comes in contact 

 with the ground ; so that the weight, instead of resting 

 fairly on the crust, is sustained by the clenches and 

 nails, which cannot fail to be prejudicial to the crust, 

 and must often tear and splinter it. 



The nail-holes must be situated as near the outer 

 edge of the seating as the strength and security of the 

 web will permit. The nails will consequently have a 

 natural tendency to take an inward direction, and 

 therefore will have a firmer hold, and be divested 

 of that strain to which they are subjected in the 

 common shoe. 



We have given a representation of the under- 

 surface of this shoe, Plate xi, fig. 2. 



THE SEATED SHOE. 

 PLATE XI, FIG. 3. 



The seated shoe is of an equal thickness, perfectly 

 flat, and parallel from the toe to the heel ; only varying 

 in width according to the form of the hoof to which it 

 is to be applied, and similar to the ordinary shoe in 

 the fullering, nailing, etc. The foot-surface, however, 

 differs in having a narrow plain rim, about the same 

 width as the thickness of the crust, extending round 

 the edge of the shoe, except at the heel, where it 

 presents a flat surface, to the extent of an inch ; the 

 other part of the shoe is hollowed out, bevelling from 



2 A 



