ELEMENTS OF HIPPOLOGY. 151 



surface' of the shoe. The 'bearing surface' should be perfectly hor- 

 izontal from side to side and wide enough to support the full thick- 

 ness of the wall, the white line, and about an eighth of an inch of the 

 margin of the sole. The 'bearing surface' should also be perfectly 

 flat, except that it may be turned up at the toe. The surface be- 

 tween the 'bearing surface' and the inner edge of the shoe is often 

 beaten down or concaved to prevent pressure too far inward upon the 

 sole. This 'concaving,' or 'seating,' should be deeper or shallower as 

 the horny sole is less or more concave. As a rule, strongly 'cupped' 

 soles require no concaving (hind hoof s„ narrow fore hoofs). 



" Borders. — The entire outer border should be beveled under the 

 foot. Such a shoe is not so readily loosened, nor is it so apt to lead 

 to interfering. 



" Fullering. — This is a groove in the ground surface of the shoe. 

 It should pass through two-thirds of the thickness of the shoe, be 

 clean, and of uniform width. It is of advantage in that it makes 

 the shoe lighter in proportion to its width, and, by making the ground 

 surface somewhat rough, tends to prevent slipping. 



" Nail- Holes. — The shoe must be so punched that the nail -holes 

 will fall directly on the white line. They should be confined to the 

 fore half of front shoes, but may occupy the anterior two-thirds of 

 hind shoes. For a medium-weight shoe three nail-holes in each 

 branch are sufficient, but for heavier shoes, especially those provided 

 with long calks, eight holes are about right, though three on the in- 

 side and four on the outside may do. 



" Clips. — These are half -circular ears drawn up from the outer 

 edge of the shoe, either at the toe or opposite the side wall. The 

 height of a clip should equal the thickness of the shoe, though they 

 should be even higher on hind shoes and when a leather sole is in- 

 terposed between sole and hoof. Clips secure the shoe against shifting. 

 A side clip should always be drawn up on that branch of the shoe that 

 first meets the ground in locomotion. 



