THE SHOE. 581 



distribution of weight in the hoof, because where the most weight 

 falls the surface of support of the foot must be widened, and where 

 the least weight falls (opposite side of the hoof) the surface of sup- 

 port should be narrowed. In this way the improper distribution of 

 weight within the hoof is evenly distributed over the surface of 

 support. 



(2) A shoe for a base-wide hoof 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 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 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 (fig. 5a). 



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 under-bevel at the toe and heel. 



(5) A shoe for a stumpy hoof 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 downward and forward. 



In many cases, especially in draft horses where the hoofs stand 

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

 out beyond 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 a practice will render unnecessary the widespread and popular 

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



