TIPS PATENT SAFETY SHOE 373 



whole Stress of the frame rests upon them. In conse- 

 quence of this, the shoes of the hind feet are always 

 made broader than those of the fore feet, and the toe 

 is widened still more by rasping. When there is the 

 slightest tendency to over-reaching, the toes of the 

 hind feet should be shortened as much as possible, by 

 sloping in the surface, and rendering the shoe some- 

 what less projecting than the horn at the toe. The 

 hinder differs a little from the fore foot, in being 

 straighter in the quarters. The nails in the hinder 

 shoe should be situated nearer to the heel than in the 

 fore shoe. 



TIPS. 



Tips are short shoes which reach only half way 

 round the foot, and are worn by the horse while at 

 grass, as a protection to the crust, to prevent it being 

 injured by any hard parts in the ground. They are 

 especially necessary when horses have a practice of 

 pawing. The reason why these shoes are made short 

 is to permit those feet which have a tendency to con- 

 traction to return to their natural condition by ex- 

 pansion. 



PATENT SAFETY SHOE. 

 PLATE XI, Fig. 6. 



This shoe is constructed of malleable cast-iron. 

 This is accomplished by a chemical process called 

 annealing, which renders the cast-iron less liable to 

 break ; as ordinary cast-iron is nearly as brittle as 

 glass. The figure referred to exhibits the ground side 

 of this shoe. The letters a, a, a, a, are a raised 

 border, intended to strengthen the inward edge of the 

 shoe, as well as to nrevent the intrusion of small 



