658 THE HORSE 



shoe arc — that it be light, easily and safely retained by few nails, capable 

 of wearing three weeks or a month, and that it afford good foothold to the 

 horse. 



The average weight of shoes — 



Race Horses 2 ounces to 4 ounces. 



Hacks and Hunters 15 ounces to 18 ounces. 



Carriage Horses 20 ounces to 30 ounces. 



Omnibus and Vanners 3 lbs. to 3^ lbs. 



Heavy Uray 4 to 5 lbs. 



1. The common English shoe for general purposes is represented in the 

 annexed engraving, which shows both its surfaces. It is often made wider 

 at the heels than the foot it is intended for, but this is a great mistake, and 

 leads to the very mischief which it is intended to avoid. On examining the 

 foot represented at page 656, it will be seen that at the back part of the 

 crust on each side there is a considerable narrowing, or approach of the one 

 heel to the other. This should be exactly copied, so that when the shoe is 

 fitted neither heel will project a hair's-breadth beyond the other. The web 

 will vary in breadth according to the nature of the sole which it has to pro- 

 tect, being made broader for a thin, weak sole, than for a strong one. On 

 the internal or foot surface, the inner half or rather more is forged in a con- 

 cave shape, so as to make the inner edge much thinner than the outer. 

 This is called the concave seat, and is intended to keep all pressure off the 

 sole, and to prevent the ordinary sized pieces of grit and gravel which in- 

 sinuate themselves between the shoe and the foot from injuring the latter 

 by their presence. The web of this shoe is perfectly flat on the ground 

 surface, and is of the same thickness throughout. 



Only the very best iron can be used to produce good nails. Nothing is 

 dearer than bad nails, which cause injury to the foot and loss of shoes. 



A good nail should present certain forms of head, neck and shank. The 

 head should not be too broad at the top or it may become fixed in the nail- 

 hole only by its upper edge, and when the shoe has had a few days' wear 

 the nail loses its hold, and the shoe is loose. The neck should not be too 

 thick, as it is then liable to press on the sensitive foot and to break the 

 wall. The shank should not be too wide or too thick. The point should 

 not be too long or too tapered as this leaves insufficient metal to form a 

 good clinch. 



There are two methods of putting nail-holes into shoes — by " fullering " 

 and by "stamping." A stamped shoe is on( in which the nail-holes are 

 merely punched at certain distances, so as to leave four-sided tapered holes 

 of the exact shape of a nail-head. A fullered shoe is one having a groove 

 round the circumference through which the nail-holes are punched. Both 

 processes, when well-done, admit of nails being driven into the hoof with 

 equal safety and ease. 



Whether stamped or fullered, there are a few more important points to 

 remember about the nail-holes. The wall is not of the same thickness 

 throughout, but becomes thinner towards the heels. The inner side of the 

 foot is also somewhat thinner and more upright than the outer. The safest 

 position, then, for the nails is in the front half of the foot, but should this 

 position not present sound horn they may be placed further back. The 

 danger of placing nails near the heels is due entirely to the greater risk in 



