130 THE PRACTICAL HORSESHOER. 



be cured by tliem. Many other methods have come under 

 my observation, and none of them are of much if any 

 value. 



My plan is to make a shoe expressly for contracted feet 

 and the sketch, Fig. 74, will illustrate my idea. The dotted 

 line, A, represents a joint made by simply cutting- a com- 

 mon shoe through the center of the toe with a half round 

 chisel. Holes, as shown, are then punched in each part of 

 the severed shoe near the proposed joint, and countersunk 

 on the inner surface. The toe calk, B, is then made, holes 

 being" punched in it and countersunk to correspond with the 

 holes in the shoe. The parts are then riveted tog-ether as 

 shown in the cut. The concavity of one part of the shoe 

 fitting the convexity of the other, a perfect hinge is formed 

 which can pla^^ beneath the toe plate or calk B. Care 

 should be taken not to have the two surfaces fit too tightly. 

 They must be loose enough to move easily upon each other. 

 Then the heels of the shoe are turned up, not too high, but 

 so as to bring them on a level with the toe and drawn out- 

 w^ard so as to stand well apart. The^^ should round out- 

 ward, so that when the horse's weight comes upon them 

 the}^ will spring slightly apart. Small clips should be 

 turned up on the inner edge of the shoe just in front of the 

 heels, as shown at D, D, to catch inside of the quarter and 

 hold tlie foot apart while it is being spread by the animal's 

 weight upon the shoe. If the shoe is made as described 

 you will have no difficulty in spreading the foot and curing 

 the worst case of contraction. — By A. S. 



Contracted Feet — Against Hot Fitting. 



Permit me to say a few words in i^egard to shoeing con- 

 tracted feet. It is cruel for a man to nail iron to the foot of 

 a horse and then spread it with tongs or anything else. A 



