FORM AND PROPORTIONS OF SHOE. 215 



Viewed from the side the hoof surface is flat, except under 

 very special circumstances, as when the toe is 'rolled,' and 

 the shoe of the same thickness throughout. The fore shoe 

 should only carry calkins when a toe-piece of equal height is 

 used. 



Viewed from above, the nail holes of the inner quarter and 

 inner toe should be seen to open nearer the margin of the shoe 

 than those of the outer quarter. 



A well-made hind shoe should be of oval shape, the branches 

 of the same length, the inner, however, being straighter than the 

 outer, the toe should exhibit more ' cover ' than the branches, 

 the heels should be finished square, the toe should show no nail 

 holes, the nail holes of the inner side should be punched finer 

 than those of the outer, and the last nail hole of one side should 

 be approximately opposite that of the other. The other charac- 

 teristics are similar to those of the fore shoe, save that the toe 

 (in draught horses) is thicker than the heels. 



Calkins, even when of equal height, entail certain disadvan- 

 tages. Thus they lift the frog clear of the ground and place 

 it out of action ; entering the ground unequally they tend to 

 strain the joints ; in turning or in the stable they are apt to be 

 set down on the coronet of the opposite foot and cause danger- 

 ous wounds. Their power of checking slips rapidly decreases 

 with wear. They are quite out of place when used to raise 

 naturally low heels, and in no way prevent strain of the tendons 

 (as is often supposed), because the tendons themselves are then 

 of a length corresponding to the flatness of the foot. Further- 

 more, they cause the foot to rest continually on an inclined 

 surface. Though employed for all classes, they are most useful 

 on the hind shoes of heavy cart horses, where they favour the 

 action of the tendons during draught and ensure a firm foot- 

 hold on slippery ground. 



In shoeing horses with turned-in toes the increased wear of 

 the outer limb of the shoe is compensated by making the ' web * 

 somewhat broader. Upright feet require a shoe with web of 

 the same width at quarters and toe, or somewhat broader at 

 the toe. 



As the weight of the shoe has considerable influence in 

 determining the style of going, animals with little action are 

 sometimes shod with a heavy shoe, and in those having a 



