THE SHOE. 579 



foot, but indispensable except for horses at slow work on soft ground. 

 Since a proper surface of support is of the greatest importance in 

 preser\dng the health of the feet and legs, it is necessary to consider 

 the various forms of shoes best adapted to the different forms of 

 hoofs. Certain properties are common to all shoes and may be con- 

 sidered first. They are form, width, thickness, length, surfaces, bor- 

 ders, " fullering," nail holes, and clips. 



Form. — Every shoe should have the form of the hoof for which it 

 is intended, provided the hoof retains its proper shape ; but for every 

 hoof that has undergone change of form we must endeavor to give the 

 shoe that form which the hoof originally possessed. Front shoes and 

 hind shoes, rights and lefts, should be distinctly different and easily 

 distinguishable. 



Width. — All shoes should be wider at the toe than at the ends of 

 the branches. The average width should be about double the thick- 

 ness of the wall at the toe. 



Thickness. — The thickness should be sufficient to make the shoe last 

 about four weeks and should be uniform except in special cases. 



Length. — This will depend upon the obliquity of the hoof viewed in 

 profile. The acute-angled hoof (fig. 5a) has long overhanging heels, 

 and a considerable proportion of the weight borne by the leg falls in 

 the posterior half of the hoof. For such a hoof the branches of the 

 shoe should extend back of the buttresses to a distance nearly double 

 the thickness of the shoe. For a hoof of the regular form (figs. 5& 

 and 8) the branches should project an amount equal to the thickness 

 of the shoe. In a stumpy hoof (fig. 5c) the shoe need not project 

 more than one-eighth of an inch. In all cases the shoe should cover 

 the entire " bearing surface " of the wall. 



Surfaces. — The surface that is turned toward the hoof is known as 

 the " upper," or " hoof surface," of the shoe. That part of the hoof 

 surface which is in actual contact with the horn is called the " bearing 

 surface " of the shoe. The " bearing surface " should be perfectly 

 horizontal from side to side, and wide enough to support the full 

 thickness of the wall, the white line, and about an eighth of an inch of 

 the margin of the sole. The bearing surface should also be perfectly 

 flat, except that it may be turned up at the toe (" rolling-motion " 

 shoe, fig. 5 «, 5, c) . The surface between the bearing surface and the 

 inner edge of the shoe is often beaten down or concaved to prevent 

 pressure too far inward upon the sole. This " concaving," or " seat- 

 ing," should be deeper or shallower as the homy sole is less or more 

 concave. As a rule, strongly " cupped " soles require no concaving 

 (hind hoofs, narrow fore hoofs). 



Borders. — The entire outer border should be beveled under the 

 foot. Such a shoe is not so readily loosened, nor is it so apt to lead to 

 interfering. 



