Book VII. SHOEING OF HORSES. 927 



grounds to force off the shoe by. The heels of the common shoe are likewise not in 

 general sufficiently long for the protection of the foot ; and which defect, more than a 

 want of width, causes the tendency to press on the crust of the heels. It is further to be 

 observed, that if the decreased width of the outer standing of the heels, and the in- 

 creased width of the web, should make the inner angle of the shoe heel in danger of 

 interfering with the frog, the corner may be taken off. In forging this shoe, it may be 

 bevelled, or left plane on both surfaces, or rather nearly so, for it is usual with 

 most smiths to thin it in some degree towards the inner edge. This shoe is appli- 

 cable to most feet, is easily formed, and as such, in country places is all that can be 

 espected. 



5927. The injurious effects of bad shoeing would only require to be known to excite 

 every endeavor to obviate them ; and there are some circumstances in the more common 

 shoes of country smiths, that ought to be impressed on the mind of every agricultu- 

 rist, and guarded against by every one who possesses a horse. It is too frequently 

 observed that the ground side of their shoe is convex, and that the inward rim, when 

 the foot is on the ground, is the lowest part; on which it is evident the weight must 

 first press ; and by which pressure, the crust will be forcibly thrust on the extreme 

 edge of the shoe ; and the only resistance offered to its being forced from it, depends, 

 on the nails and clinches, instead of its just application to the ground, and the sup- 

 port derived from the uniform pressure of the whole. Every shoe should therefore be 

 perfectly level on its ground surface: nor should any shoe be put on that has not. 

 been tried on a plane iron purposely made for such trial ; which irons are kept 

 in some smithies, but are absent from too many. The substance of the shoe should be 

 the same throughout, forming two parallel lines of upper and under surface; in 

 plain language, the heels, instead of being clubbed as is too frequent, should be the 

 exact thickness of the toe. Neither should the width at the heels diminish in the pro- 

 portion it usually does ; on the contrary, for a perfectly formed foot, the web should 

 present an uniform width throughout. 



5928. Varieties in form of foot, differences in size, weight, and uses of horses, will 

 necessarily make deviations in the form and substance of shoes. The very shoe recom- 

 mended may be considered as a variation from what would be immediately necessary, 

 were the feet generally perfect ; but it is to be considered that there are but very few 

 feet but what have undergone some unfavorable alteration in their form, which makes 

 them very sensible to concussion. It is for this reason, therefore, that it is recommended, 

 that a shoe be used, for general purposes, somewhat wider and thicker than the common 

 one. In weak, tender, flexible feet, it will be found particularly advantageous ; and 

 here the benefit of wide heels to the shoe will be most apparent. Good as the roads 

 now are, yet most horses are occasionally subjected to travel on bad ones ; some know 

 no other : to these the addition of one, or at the most, two ounces to each shoe is 

 nothing ; but the ease to the horse, and its superior covering, as well as support, is incal- 

 culable. In very young, very light, and very firm feet, the width and substance may 

 be somewhat diminished at pleasure, and particularly in situations where the roads are 

 uniformly good ; but a very long and extensive experience has assured us, that the 

 shoe portrayed, is one well calculated to meet the ordinary purposes of travelling, and 

 the present state of the art of horse shoeing. 



5929. An improved shoe on the present plan {fig- 626.}, would be found to unite 

 all the perfections of the modern English improvements, . 626 



with some derived from our neighbors the French. What 



has since been called a seated shoe was introduced by Os- 



mer ; but from the obstinacy and ignorance of smiths, as 



it could not be brought into general use, it became little 



thought of, until revived by Clark of Edinburgh ; by 



whom it was patronized and recommended. It finally was 



taken up by Moorcroft, and has ever since attracted some 



attention, and continues to be forged in some shops where 



the work is superiorly done ; and where the employers 



have liberality enough to pay for such work, and judgment 



enough to discriminate between its advantages and those 



of the common shoe. If to this shoe were added the ^S^* C 



French mode of fastening it to the foot, we think the improvement would almost 



shut out all others. On examining the figure it will be seen that this shoe presents 



a flat surface opposed to the ground (a), but a concave one towards the sole (A) ; 



but that this concavity does not begin, as in some seated shoes near the outer edge, 



but embraces two thirds only of the web, leaving by this means a suflUcient surface 



for the crust : but this bevelling is not intended to reach the heels ; it stops short 



of them (c , leaving the web at this part plane for the heels to rest upon. The 



