CHAPTERIL 



THE SHOEING OF OXEN. 



The: slioemo- of oxen differs essentially from that of horses, 

 because the ox's foot is cloven, while the pastern, coronet, and 

 pedal bones are in duplicate. The ox, therefore, may be said 

 to have on each limb two hoofs, termed claws, which can be 

 distinguished as an outer and an inner. The walls are thinner 

 than those of the horse. The sole is thin and the bulbs low. 

 As a consequence the shoe must be thin and broad. The nail 



Fig. 400. — Ox'.s claw with shoe attached. 



holes should be punched fine and the nails should be short but 

 strong. Each shoe is provided with a long thin clip at the 

 inner margin of the toe, which is bent upwards and outwards 

 around the point of the claw (fig. 400). A clip on the outer 

 margin of the shoe increases the hold. In the Saxon Voigtland 

 the inner clip, which lies in the cleft of the claw, starts from 



