LAMENESS IN HORSES. 
68 
may be introduced underneath the web of a plain shoe to sus- 
tain any dressing we may desire to apply, and by dossils of 
tow upon the dressing to give pressure at the same time. 
Coleman, many years ago, introduced what he called “ patent 
frog-bars” for this purpose, and to a certain extent they an- 
swered ; but they were found troublesome, from the nice appli- 
cation they required, and were too expensive for common use, 
and could not be worn for any very long time, or indeed very 
comfortably, owing to the constant and partial pressure they in- 
variably made upon the frog. And pressure such as this was 
likely to be productive of harm instead of good, unless the 
heels of the hoof were set at liberty to yield to it. With the 
patent frog-bars this could not well be managed, owing to the 
number of nails required to keep the apparatus on the foot; 
though Coleman succeeded, in this respect, better afterwards 
by means of his frog-bar shoe. With the shoe in ordinary use — 
the plain shoe , as it is called — we must effect the object to the 
limited extent we are able, by carrying the nails, which ought 
to be as few as possible, as far as we can toe-ward ; though 
when we have leather and dressings as well to retain, even this 
measure of forward nailing is taken at a risk. Gutta percha 
has an advantage in this respect, inasmuch as it admits of being 
moulded, after being soaked in hot water, into the sole of the 
foot, after the shoe is nailed on, and can be made to serve 
-equally as well as leather for covering and protection. To narrow 
or contracted feet, with strong and deep heels, no shoe possesses 
half the virtue of a tip. Providing the frushy frog be, or 
through the means recommended be brought to be, able to 
bear the pressure from partial tread upon the ground, leaving 
the heels unpared down, and substituting a tip for the plain 
shoe, will really work wonders. Hardly any person who has 
not made trial of this plan would credit the reports I myself — in 
common with others — could make of it; I shall, therefore, not 
attempt any further eulogy of the tip here, but simply, circum- 
stances suiting, most strongly repeat my recommendation of it. 
In wet weather, the tipped horse ought, most assuredly, to be 
kept as much as possible out of wet ; but in dry weather, and 
upon country roads, on such a foot as I have described, the tip 
will bear all the usage of the plain shoe. 
In DRESSING FRUSHES some distinctions will, in general, 
require to be made between the horse intended afterwards to 
go to work, and the one we can afford or obtain permission to 
lay up. In the former case, the state of the ground, wet or dry, 
will have something to do with it. In any case, little or no 
benefit can be expected to be derived from dressings superfi- 
cially or imperfectly applied — applied by merely smearing over 
