78 



THE ART OF HORSE-SHOEING. 



"wliicli cannot occur in an unsliood foot on a level sur- 

 face. The " eased lieel " does more than this. It wastes 

 a large extent of good hearing-surface, and it concen- 

 trates pressure at one point — where the shoe and foot 

 meet — at the quarters. It loses good bearing-surface- 

 where it is important to have it, and unevenly throws, 

 extra weight on the quarters, which are the weakest parts 

 of the wall. An " eased heel" has not one single advan- 

 tage, but it has every disadvantage which misplaced 

 ingenuity could contrive. 



For flat feet, a wide shoe with a flat foot- surface is- 

 unsafe, as there is liability to uneven pressure on the- 

 sole. For such feet, the safer form of foot-surface is 

 one presenting a level narrow bearing surface round its^ 

 outer border, from which an inclined or bevelled surface 

 continues the shoe inwards. (Fig. 52.) This form of shoe-. 



Fig. 52.— Section of a seated shoe. 



can be fitted to nearly any kind of foot. To escape injury 

 to a flat sole, "seating out" shoes is necessary, but the 

 operation should always leave a level bearing-surface 

 for the wall. When a shoe is seated from one side to the 

 other so as to i^roduce a saucer-shaioed surface, harm is 

 done to the foot. Such a shoe presents no level bearing- 

 surface, and the weight of the horse pressing the wall on 

 an inclined plane causes the foot to be pinched or com- 

 pressed in a manner which soon causes lameness. (Fig. 53.) 

 A few years ago, these shoes were too common, and ta 

 make them still more injurious, the foot was pared out 



