23 



support of the foot must be widened, and where the least weight falls 

 (opposite side of the hoof) the surface of support should be narrowed. 

 In this wa}^ the improper distribution of weight within the hoof is 

 evenl} r distributed over the surface of support. 



(2) A shoe for a base-wide hoof. — This shoe should be fitted full on 

 the inner side of the foot and fitted close on the outer side, because the 

 inner side bears the most weight. The nails in the outer branch are 

 placed well back, but in the inner branch are crowded forward toward 

 the toe. 



(3) A shoe for a base-narrow hoof. — This shoe should be just the 

 reverse of the preceding. The outer branch should be somewhat 

 longer than the inner. 



(4) A shoe for an acute-angled hoof. — This shoe should be long in the 

 branches, because most of the weight falls in the posterior half of the 

 foot. The support in front should be diminished either by turning 

 the shoe up at the toe or by beveling- it under the toe (tig. 5a). 



i^g£g&&wvv«-. 



Fig. 8. — Side view of hoof and shoe shown in fig. 7. Note the straight toe, weak ring formation 

 running parallel to the coronet, clinches low down and on a level, length of the shoe, and the 

 nnder-hevel at the toe and heel. 



(5) A shoe for a stumpy hoof. — This shoe should be short in the 

 branches, and for pronounced cases should increase the support of 

 the toe, where the most of the weight falls, by being beveled down- 

 ward and forward. 



In many cases, especially in the hoofs of draft horses that stand very 

 close together, the coronet of the outer quarter is found to stand out 

 be} r ond the lower border of the quarter. In such cases the outer 

 branch of the shoe from the last nail back must be fitted so full that 

 an imaginary perpendicular dropped from the coronet will just meet 

 the outer border of the shoe. The inner branch, on the other hand, 

 must be fitted as "close" as possible. The principal thought should 

 be to set the new shoe farther toward the more strongly worn side. 

 Such n. practice will render unnecessary the widespread and popular 

 fad of giving the outer quarter and heel calk of hind shoes an extreme 



179 



