482 CHAPTETl 63. 



983c. Rocking Slioes. 



Rocking shoes are made of very stout iron about twice the thickness 

 of the ordinary shoe in the centre, becoming gradually thin at the toe 

 and heels. In form they are somewhat like the rocker of a cradle. 

 They are made wider in the web than the ordinary shoe, so that the solo 

 may take its share in bearing the weight, and thus relieve the- crust and 

 sensitive laminae to a great extent. 



The advantage of Hocking shoes is that the animal can throw his 

 weight at his will either on the anterior or posterior part of the foot. 

 They are valuable in some cases of foot disease, and especially in 

 laminitis (see Par. 1027). 



984. Hind Foot and Shoe. 



The general principles are the same as those which regulate the shoe- 

 ing of the fore-foot. The crust must not be rasped, the sole must not be 

 pared out, the frog must not be mutilated, and the shoe must be accu- 

 rately fitted. 



There are, however, some points of difference between the hind and 

 fore feet. The crust or wall of the hind foot is more upright than that 

 of the fore-foot. It is also thinner. As it is thinner, i. e. narrower, the 

 web of the shoe must also be narrower. It should not much exceed half 

 an inch, which is the width of the crust. (Plate 53, fig. 14.) 



985. Form of the Hind Shoe. 



There is no objection to the form of the hind shoe in ordinary use. 

 Two or three points, however, require to be noted. In ordinary cases 

 the shoe should be of the same thickness all throughout ; especially the 

 height of the shoe should be the same at both heels. I lay stress on 

 this, because where calkins are used it is very common to make the out- 

 side heel, to which the calkin is usually applied, higher than the inside 

 heel. Nature has made the two heels of the same height, and any 

 deviation from this arrangement of Nature will be liable to cause disease 

 especially in the hocks. 



In order to prevent over-reach, the under inner posterior edge of the 

 hind shoe should be rounded off (fig. 14) in a way which is more particu- 

 larly explained in the article on " Over-reach," Par. 1002, Chapter 65. 



986. Calkins. 



Calkins are used generally as a stay to the foot, which may be needed 

 in heavy draught work or on slippery ground, and sometimes for the 

 purpose of effecting an alteration in the action, and also in certain 

 diseases. 



Calkins, though sometimes necessary, are in all cases more or less of 

 an evil. They are not really required for ordinary riding or driving. 

 They cannot be as much needed as is often supposed, because, although 

 they are usually worn away long before the horse is re-shod, the. public 



