Numbers 32 and 33 show cuts ot a bind shoe for use 

 more particularly on the race track, for speed purposes, 

 though it will be found to be useful for road driving. By 

 examining this shoe carefully it will be observed that 

 while there is a deepening of the shoe at the toe, 

 forming as it were, a toe calkin, whereby the animal 

 obtains a firm grip on the ground at the propelling 

 end, where 'tis needed, the shoe is beveled off from 

 the front part, so that, unlike the calkin, if the foot 

 should interfere with the front foot it would not 

 "cut the quarter" as 'tis called, at any time, but 

 would simply pound it slightly and slide off; at 

 same time, this formation of toe gives the full benefit 

 of a calkin, without, as expressed, any of the disad- 

 vantages attaching to the latter. It will be noticed 

 also that the heel calkins are turned up only to balance 

 the shoe so that it shall be of same depth, or thickness 

 at heels as at front of shoe. Friends of the author 

 have informed him that they consider this shoe for 

 hind foot the best speeding shoe ever put onto a horse— 

 and certainly superior to any they have ever used. 

 Many of his friends are "stuck" on the front shoe 

 number 31 also, for the track particularly, as owing to 

 the very slight ground surface, the foot gets an easy 

 blow and then again the resistance is slight, enabling 

 the foot to be flexed with the utmost ease. A shoe of 

 this kind for a horse of 15^ hands will weigh about 9 

 to 10 ounces; (they can be made heavier yes, and can 

 be made lighter) but any horse properly balanced in 

 his articulation should be able to trot square and true 

 with that, yes, with much less weight. 



"^heTrtist made a mistake in number 33, and tlie drawing does 

 not show the calkin-like shape at toe. 



55 



