710 



SHOEING. 



Fig. 555. — Adapted for a hind 

 foot in aiding mobility. 



nailing slices on such feet, not to wrench or hammer the foot 

 heavily. In winter, if calks must be used, let them be arranged 

 something like Fig. 553; or a low, long calk can be put on well 

 back under the toe. In taking off the shoes, the clinches should 

 be carefully raised, and the nails, one at a time pulled out. In 



nailing on, the strokes should be 

 light, and the clenching barely 

 sufficient, by repeating light tap- 

 pings, to turn over nicely. Any- 

 thing in the way of hard, tight nail- 

 ing should be avoided. The shoe 

 should be simply held nicely in 

 place without being pulled tight. 

 There are a great many pads 

 and cushions advertised for tender 

 feet. If rubber pads be put over 

 the shoe, it is seen, in the first 

 place, that nailing on the shoe and 

 turning down the clinches suffi- 

 ciently tight, presses it down so closely as to take out all its 

 elasticity ; in addition, the heels soon wear and cut through it to 

 the shoe, so that they can have but little, if any, effect in relieving 

 concussion. Leather well fitted 

 between the shoe and foot will, in ff 

 many cases, help considerably. 

 I have found that making the 

 heel-calks rather low and sharp, 

 and the toe-calks well back about 

 the middle of the bar, greatly 

 helps in breaking concussion on 

 mud roads ; as by their setting 

 into the ground the force of the 

 blow is much lessened. 



A great many shoes have 

 been devised for the purpose of 

 relieving concussion ; but practically they have proved of but 

 little or no value. The most successful Avay has been to fit two 

 thin plates with rubber between them, but it proved too expensive 

 and complicated to come into general use. (Prof. Going's Patent 



Fig. 



556. — ^Form of shoe with toe 

 simply rounded. 



