76 THE HOESE AXD ITS DTSE.ISES. 



with Ion. 2: pasterns should have the heels of the shoes 

 much thicker behind than before, to support the back 

 sinews, and the toe cut down and shortened as much 

 as possible. 



The Bar Shoe. 

 The bar shoe is a useful contrivance — it is the con- 

 tinuation of the common shoe round the heels, and by 

 means of it, the pressure may be removed from off some 

 tender part of the foot, and thrown on anotlier better 

 able to bear it, or more widely and equally diffused over 

 the whole foot. It is principally resorted to in cases of 

 corns, bad frogs, sand cracks, pumiced feet, thrushes, and 

 weak quarters. In these cases the bar shoe is an ex- 

 cellent contrivance, if only worn 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. 



Tips. 

 Tips are short shoes, reaching only half round the foot, 

 and worn while the horse is at grass, to prevent the 

 crust being torn by the hardness of the ground, or by the 

 pawiui? of the animal, and the quarters at the same time 

 being free, the foot disposed to contract, has a chance of 

 expanding, and regaining its natural shape. 



The Expanding Shoe. 



It is either seated or concave, like the common shoe, 

 with a joint at the toe, by which the natural expansion 

 of tlie foot is permitted, and the injurious consequence 

 of shoeing prevented. There is, however, this radical 

 defect in the jointed shoe, that the nails occupy the 

 same situation as in the common shoe, and prevent, as 

 do the nails of the common shoe, the gradual expansion 

 of the sides and the quarters, and allow only of a hinge- 

 like motion at the toe. This is a most imperfect ac- 

 commodation of the expansion of the foot to the action 

 of its internal parts. 



