EXPERIMENTS ON THE FOOT OF THE HORSE. 65 
when held in the air, being perfectly level, and free from the 
slightest curve. 
But not being content with this, and supposing that a different 
result might be obtained if the mould were taken during action , I 
had a bed of well-tempered yellow clay laid down. Then, having 
removed the fore shoes, and ascertained that the under surface of 
the crust was smooth and level, I rode the horse full trot over it, 
thereby taking the desired mould, from which another plaster cast 
was procured. Still the result was similar to the former. 
With regard to the other questions involved, viz., lateral ex- 
pansion and descent of the sole, with their corollaries, I must bring 
before your notice the result of a few experiments, which, though 
far short, in a numerical point of view, of those recorded in the 
pages of The Veterinarian, still bear sufficiently upon the 
point to induce their publicity. 
Having been engaged in some experiments relating to the ap- 
plication of vulcanized India rubber to the foot of the horse in the 
process of shoeing*, I found, for the support of the principles which 
I had advocated and advanced, it was necessary for me to have 
other data than the vague assertions of authors ; and I consequently 
determined to satisfy myself upon certain points, more especially 
those of descent of the sole and lateral expansion , by direct 
experimentt. 
Accordingly, having selected a horse with good and moderately 
concave feet, I proceeded to put my plan into execution. 
A shoe was made, having two nail-holes on the inside, three on 
the outside, and one at the toe, behind the clip ; its upper surface, 
around the seating, being perfectly level, so that an equal bearing 
was obtained throughout the whole extent, without the least spring 
at the heels. 
Across the anterior part of the shoe, running from the inner edge 
of one side of the cover to that of the other, so as to pass directly 
over that portion of the sole anterior to the point of the frog, 
was firmly brazed a narrow bar of iron, of equal thickness with 
the shoe itself. From this transverse bar, on each side, near to its 
junction with the shoe, proceeded another bar, of equal breadth 
and thickness, in an oblique direction towards each heel of the 
shoe, whereto it was immoveably fixed. These lateral bars, of 
course, passed over that portion of the sole on each side of the 
frog. By this arrangement I had three iron bars traversing the 
entire sole, yet so disposed as to permit of its being distinctly seen 
in every direction. Through each of these bars three holes were 
* A little Treatise upon which subject I beg your acceptance of. 
t It is our intention to look into these experiments. — Ed. Vet. 
