534 HORSE-SHOES AND HORSE-SHOEING. 



width of the shoe should be sloped or bevelled from the 

 inside of the nail-heads all round the shoe to the inner 

 rim, with the exception of from one to one inch and 

 a half of flat bearing on the heels, and the shoe should be 

 of an equal thickness from toe to heel.' The bar or 

 circular shoe, when properly constructed, Mr Goodwin 

 considered of the greatest use ' in affording a greater sur- 

 face of defence than any other shoe, which enables us to 

 determine the weight of the animal more generally on 

 the foot by equalizing the pressure on more bearing 

 points than a plain shoe.' Screw shoes are noticed, as 

 well as their eff'ects on contracted feet. Their use had been 

 recently revived by Mr Jekyl, whose pattern, with a joint 

 at the toe and a screw at the heels, was objectionable. 

 Sir B. Bloomfield had suggested a shoe with two joints — 

 one on each side of the toe : the toe-piece had two nail- 

 lioles in it, and each branch, furnished with a bar-clip, had 

 three nails ; screws acted on the inner side of the branches 

 towards the heel. 



Very judicious remarks are made as to nailing shoes 

 to the hoofs, and those on the manapement of the 

 horse's feet are commendable ; but it may be noticed 

 that his curved-toe shoe was supposed to correspond 

 to the natural form of the o.v pcdi.s, or coffin-bone, 

 and in one of his drawings to illustrate this principle he 

 figures what is certainly a diseased or abnormal specimen 

 of that bone. Perhaps on this diseased specimen he 

 founded his imitation of the French shoe. 



The French method was, in his opinion, far superior 

 to the English one, and in lauding its merits he forgot to 

 notice its defects, which at least equal those of the latter. 



