G66 THE HORSE 



when carried into practice, few of our horses would bear the battering of 

 their heels which our hard roads would entail. 



7, The tip is exactly similar in shape to the half-moon shoe, but is not so 

 carefully seated on the foot, because it is merely wanted for horses intended 

 t(j be turned out on soft ground. It is also generally made of equal thick- 

 ness throughout, but it would be better if the substance of iron were reduced 

 at the heels. 



8. The plate or racing shoe is merely a narrow rim of iron, flat on 



Pio. 123.— Bar Shoe for Off Fore-foot : Fitted, but not kailed on. 

 A. A. Bulbous heels of the foot. B. B. Fullering punched with seven holes. 



the side towards the foot, and grooved on the other. This groove gives a 

 good foothold, and conceals the nail heads also, so that no fullering or 

 countersinking is required. The breadth of the web is generally about half- 

 an-inch. 



9. The bar shoe is never used in this country for sound feet, but it is 

 a great pity that some modification of it cannot be introduced so as to 

 obviate all the objections which ajiply to the ordinary shoe. It consists of 

 a complete ring of iron, similar in shape to the ordinary shoe, as far as the 

 back of the quarters, but from that part bending inwards to meet the web 

 of the opposite side, with which it is welded. It is now used for two pur- 

 poses, exactly the reverse of each other. In the one case the foot is so pre- 

 pared that the frog shall touch the shoe, while the heels are quite free, and 

 are thereby relieved from all pressure. In the other the frog does not 

 come in contact with the shoe, which is solely supported by the crust and 



