FAULTY CONFORMATION AND MOVEMENT. 



219 



therefore in affording a horse a firm foothold, as the foot lands 

 upon and leaves the ground, he is inspired with great confi- 

 dence, he can hold his speed from start to finish more uniformly, 

 and he will win many a race which he would have lost when 

 wearing the common, old style of flat shoes. 



With this style of hind shoe, it will be impossible for the 

 hind foot to slip backward or sideways, as it lands upon or 

 leaves the ground. The hind legs are mainly the propelling 

 powers of the horse. This shoe, as will be seen, is cut in dia- 

 mond shapes on the ground tread. The cuts are to be made 

 three-sixteenths of an inch deep. This style of shoe is adapted 

 to horses with long pasterns. In my experience I have found it 

 to be of decided advantage to the horse with long pasterns to 

 shoe him behind with a long extension of a shoe backward. 

 The shoe then serves as a brace or stay to support the back 

 tendons. 



In shoeing a speed horse, we must be governed by the 

 length of the pastern, and use such a shoe as will suit and assist 



his gait and footfall. If the 

 pastern is long, let the shoe 

 extend back of the heel; 

 if it is short and upright, 

 let the shoe extend just the 

 length of the heel. 



This shoe (Fig. 109) is 

 designed for a horse with a 

 long pastern. In some cases 

 small heel calks can be 

 turned upon the heels, as 

 slipping sideways when he 

 lands, or backward when 

 the foot leaves the ground, 

 is very tiresome. The scoop 

 commencing at the toe, as 



Fig. 109. record breaker — hind shoe, 



15 



WITH GRAB TOE. 



A to B, Scoop. 



