THE HUNTING SHOE. THE BAR-SHOE. 437 



Altlioiigli the unilateral shoe lias still its advocates, tliey are few com- 

 pared with the period when it was first introduced. This may be attributed 

 })artly to the difierent views taken with reference to the expansion of the 

 foot, and also from the great difficulty in fixing it securely on the foot. 

 It is an exceedingly useful method of shoeing, in some cases, but for ordi- 

 nary work no shoe equals the ordinary seven-nailed concave-seated shoe. 



It is difficult to tell what was the character of ' the old English shoe.' 

 It certainly was larger than there was any occasion for it to be, and nearly 

 covered the lower surface of the foot. The nail-holes were also far more 

 numerous than they are at present. The ground side was usually some- 

 what convex. ' The effect of this,' says Mr. W. C. Spooner, in his 

 treatise on the Foot, ' was to place the foot in a kind of hollow dish, which 

 effectually prevented its proper expansion, the crust resting on a mere 

 ledge instead of a flat surface ; and, on the ground side, from the inner 

 rim coming to the gTOund first, the weight was almost supported by the 

 nails and clinches, which were placed, four or five on each side, at sorae 

 distance from the toe, and approaching nearly to the heels.' 



It was an improvement to make the ground surface flat, and to take care 

 that it did not press on the sole. At length, however, came the concave- 

 seated shoe of Osmer, Avhich was advocated by Mr. Clark of Edinburgh, 

 improved by Mr. Moorcroft, and ultimately became very generally and 

 usefully adopted, 



THE HUNTING SHOE. 



The hunter's shoe is different from that commonly used, in form as well 

 as in weight. It is not so much bevelled off as the common concave-seated 

 shoe. Sufficient space alone is left for the introduction of a picker between 

 the shoe and the sole, other\vise, in going over heavy ground, the clay 

 would insinuate itself, and by its tenacity loosen, and even tear off the shoe. 

 The heels likewise are someAvhat shorter, that they may not be torn off by 

 the toe of the liind-feet when galloping fast, and the outer heel is frequently 

 but injudiciously turned up to prevent sHpping. If calkins are necessary, 

 both heels should have an equal bearing. 



THE BAR-SHOE. 



A bar-shoe is often exceedingly useful. It is the common shoe with the 

 heels carried round to meet each other, thus forming a bar, which covers 

 or rests on, as the case may require, the frog, and from whence the name 

 is derived, and by means of it the pressure may be taken off from some 

 tender part of the foot, and thrown on another which is better able to bear 

 it, or more widely and equally diffused over the whole foot. It is principally 

 resorted to in cases of corn, the seat of which it perfectly covers, — in 

 pumiced feet, the soles of which may be thus elevated above the ground 

 and secured from pressure, — in sand-crack, when the pressure may be 

 removed from the fissure, and thrown on either side of it, — and in thrushes, 

 when the frog is tender, or is become cankered, and requires to be fre- 

 quently dressed, and the dressing can by this means alone be retained. In 

 these cases the bar-shoe is an excellent contrivance, if worn only for one 

 or two shoeings, or as long as the disease requires it to be worn, but it 

 must be left off as soon as it can be dispensed with. 



If it is used for the protection of a diseased foot, however it may be 

 chambered and laid off the ffog, it will soon become flattened upon it ; or 

 if the pressure of it is thrown on the frog, in order to relieve the sand- 

 crack or the com, that frog must be very strong and healthy which can 

 long bear the great and continued pressure. More mischief is often pro- 

 duced in the frog than previously existed in the part that was relieved. 



