THE FARM. (From the New Zealand Farmer.) HORSE SHOES WITHOUT NAILS.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 367, 11 May 1889, Page 4

THE FARM. (From the New Zealand Farmer. ) HORSE SHOES WITHOUT NAILS.

Therk are few questions connecbodwith the management of hoives upon which the»e has been so much controversy and co nflict of opinion amongst experts as upon that of horse shoes, and method* of affixing them to the horses' feet. Many people, are strongly opposed to the us© of shoes at all, and maintain that the hoof in its natural state is capablo of carrying the horse without any artificial protection whatever. With re.-pecb to'this point there is no doubt that there are' individual horses with hoofs so exceptionally tough and well made that shoes in their cases are almost a superfluity. We say almost, btcauso wo can easily imagine condition«, such as lonjj and continuous travelling upon hard, rough, and scony roads, under which properly made shoes would be a necessity to the preservation of the hoof even in the exceptional .ca«es referred to. But in any case, when discussing the subject of the shoeing of horses, exceptional examples of hoofs of extraordinary toughness and durability need not be taken into consideration. When people balk about shoeing horses as a mistake because such protection is unnatural, they forgot that h^rse* nre workod under artificial conditions. A journey of many luilcs at a stretch upon a macadamised road was not contemplated by nature when she constructed the hoof of the horse. His nafcural travelling ground is springy turf. Besides there is no evidence to show that the horse developed into his present form under conditions which compelled him to carry anything more than his own weight. His natural evolution did not take place under the strain of pulling heavy loads, or carrying a fourteen-stone rider. Therefore nature was not called upon to provide him with hoofs which would bear the strain of such work upon hard roads without some artificial .strengthening. The provisions of nature are amply sufficient under natural conditions to fulfil their purposes, but if the environment be artificial then nature must De aided to do her part by artificial means. Bub hi doing this we must only assist nature, not attempt to ignore her arrangements, as has been done only too much in the methods of hoise •hoeing practised by ignorant farriers. "Unfortunately," says a writer, " the majority of shoeing smiths belong to a trades union which, 'on principle,' resists every attempt to improve a horseshoewhich seems likely to diminish the time required for making it — or, indeed, to make anything they have not been accustomed to made." We give illustrations, copied from a contemporary, of a new shoe for horses which is affixed to the hoof without nails. Many are the patterns of horseshoes that have been advocated by various writers, for instance, the Chariier shoe which has long been in use for the Faris omnibus horses, and consists of a thin band of iron fitted into a

groove cut in the inside of the hoop. Although strongly lecommended by some good authorities, many veterinary surgeons condemn this shoe unreservedly. But on the whole* as in remarked by a writer in the Town and Country Journal, "whether it be through its own merits, its own- comparative simplicity, or the innate conservatism of the wot id of horseowners, the ' old system,' as it is called, holds its ovn. But it, in common with all the new patterns, must be affixed with nails ; and there are few horse-owners who need to be reminded of the many evils inseparable from this mode of attachment. Sundry attempts have been mado to devise some other kind of fastening. Bufc fniluie has, so far, attended all well - meant endeavours. The naillcss horseshoe— a new invenlion — was shown at the Glasgow International Exhibition. Before an undertaking of this i- 01 1 can be held to have any chanoe of fruccess, it must answer to the following requirements : The fastening must be of such a kind ti keep the shoes perfectly immovable, and to prevent its shifting in the very slightest degree : secondly, there must be no danger of the appliance breaking ; thirdly, there must be no danger of any pre-sure being applied in the region of any sensitive part. The fastening must not be too complicated, or require the hoof to be cut, pared, or altered. It must not involve greater expense than the ordinary method of shoeing ; and, lastly, the shoes must not be heavier than those attached with nails. These appear to be the points requiring special attention ; and the inventors think they have succeeded in bringing forward an invention which will probably brinsr abouc a revolution in horse shoeing. An eminent member of the veterinary profession has stated that twenty-five horses out of every 1000 die annually from injuries sustained through being pricked by the smith. This of itself is sufficient to render the abolition of nails desirable. But farther every one knows the difficulty there is of keeping nailed shoes on some horses with brittle or plielly feet, and how the feet suffer when ■hoes have to be taken off, and replaced either in the event of lameness, or when f rosfcy weafcher makes roughing necessary.

"On reforonce to the accompanying diagram, ib will be seen that at the toe of the shoe is a piece of steel called the front pillar. This can be tapped so as to form any angle with the inside surface of the shoe, in order to adapt it to the shape of the hoof, against which it fits closely, as represented in the illustration of tho side view. In fche diagram of the shoe, there is at the toe, behind t)ie front pillar, a small piece of steel, which iits into a small groove made in the foot to roceivo it. In the event, however, of the horse suffering from • seedy-toe,' this piece of sfceol is done away with ; and two diagonal studs set at opposite ansflos on each sldo of tho toe, are substituted ; and, as this alternative plan is just as effectual, in every^ way, it can be adopted with all horses instead of the loepieco if preferred. Beyond this very slight groove- the hoof requires no preparation whatever. At the heel of tho shoe there were originally heel pillars, as "hown in the illustration of the side viow. But in tho latest patterns these pillars are abolished ; and tho substitute, while equally efficacious, is smaller. To this hoet pillar, or its substitute, is fastened the steel band, which is shown in the side - view illustration, and which, when in place, runs parallel to the top of tho hoof round it, and joins on to tho top of the front pillar. Originally the band was made in two halves, as depicted in the front-view diagram. But now tho band is continuous from one beel to the other ; and to tho top of tho front pillar a third prong i-s added, over which the loop in the middle of the band slips. To lix the shoe, it is only necessary to raise the horse's foot, place the shoe in position, pass tho band round, and slip the loop in the conbro over the prong of the front pillar ; and all is taut — the time requisite for putting on all four shoes beingf less than would be roquired for a man to put on a pair of lace-up boots. " Now, when tho shoe is fixed, as shown in the illustration, it cannot shift forward because of the opposition of the toe studs and front pillar. Itcannot work back on account of the toe studs and the bnnd : while it cannot drop off because of the band and front pillar. The band, it may be observed, fits lound the smallest portion of the hoof, and therefore cannot get below a certain point. Hence the support given by it to the shoe. No part of tho hoof is compressed ; and there is abundant room for the expansion of the foot in every direction, a c suming expansion to take place at all. To remove the shoe it is only necessary to reverse the previous process. Release the loop of the band from the front pillar, and the shoe at once comes away. The only possible way in which the shoe could come off by accident would be the fracture of the band. But this, though possible, just as tyres of wheels will fly without notice, is improbable, as there is no strain upon it. Inasmuch, however, as the bands are detachable from the shoe, a spare one can always be carried, 'and, in case of breakage, be applied in a moment. The statements made in this notice, and t he results claimed for the working of the invention, are not ba c ed upon mere theory, or upon the examination of a model shoe on a hoof, but are the result of experience of actual use. Although the shoes are not yet in the market, they have been in use for some time ; and at the of6ces of the company may be seen a number of shoes which have been worn until they have become quite thin. With regard to calkins, toe-pieces, &c, they aro matters of detail, and the shoes can be had either with them or without them, according to fancy, the purpose to which the horse is put, and the fashion of the locality."