66o HORSE-SHOES JND HORSE-SHOEING. 



and forwards several ounces, or even pounds, attached to 

 the extremity of each limb at every step. 



Lightness and durability can only be attained by em- 

 ploying the best material. If the sole of the foot is not 

 mutilated, it does not require to be covered by the shoe, 

 as nature has furnished an infinitely better protection. 

 Wide-surfaced shoes can therefore be at once dispensed 

 with, and a narrow rim, fabricated from the very toughest 

 and best iron, and adapted for travelling on slippery roads, 

 while aiding foot and limb, and sufficient to sustain wear 

 for four or five weeks, is all that is required. Here again 

 the skilful artisan is needed, and science steps in to aid 

 him. We have seen that the sole was destined, particu- 

 larly at its junction with the crust, to sustain weight, if not 

 cut away by the drawing-knife. We also know that it is 

 advantageous to the whole foot and limb to give the sole 

 as wide and general a bearing as possible ; so that the one 

 part may relieve the other — the sole coming to the aid of 

 the crust, and the frog interposing to share the strain 

 imposed upon both, as well as to relieve the strain on the 

 posterior parts of the foot, flexor tendon, and limb, and 

 keep a firm grasp of the ground by its resilient and 

 adhesive properties. 



It would, then, appear to be indicated, that the shoe 

 applied to the foot should have its upper or hoof surface 

 plane, in order that it might sustain the crust, and as much 

 of this strong part of the sole as its width permitted. This 

 is contrary to the usual practice, which only allows the 

 crust to rest on a narrow level surface, and bevels off the 

 remainder of the shoe to prevent contact with the sole. 

 But the sole in these cases is mutilated, and in this un- 



