Improvements in and connected with Horse-shoes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Mar., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 2'st Dec., 1896-Accepted, 20th Feb., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Horse-shoes.
PAUL PRINCE of Angers in the Republic of France, Horse-doctor, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The invention which forms the subject of this application is a leather shoe or
sole, fitted to the horse's hoof by 4 nails and 1 or 3 clips and forming a complete
substitute for the ordinary horse-shoe.
The article in question is light, and possesses the advantage of preventing the
horse from slipping, while it preserves the horny substance of the hoof. It is
recommendable only for light draught and saddle horses and should be used only
for the fore feet.
The shape of the shoe, or sole, is adapted to that of the hoof it is intended to
protect.
The sole in question is made by placing strips of leather, 2 or 3 in number, on
top of each other, uniting them by rivets, fixed close to the edges of the sole.
The leather must be of good quality, well tanned and hammered, its thickness
being about 4 millimeters. Moreover the leather must have been steeped in a bath
of heavy oil of turpentine for about three months so that it may be completely
saturated. The object of this is to make the leather capable of resisting the effects.
of either dryness or dampness.
The principal clip or welt consists of a body or plate with four flanges. one in
front, one behind and two at the sides.
The plate is pierced with 4 holes for the insertion of the rivets. The upper
surface, which comes into contact with the hoof, is slightly concave.
This depression, which is continued from the front to the back flange, is a
millimeter in depth at the centre of the width of the plate.
In the casting, grooves crossing each other in lozenge-shape are formed on the.
said upper surface and are about a millimeter in depth. The rugosity of the casting
is allowed to remain on this surface.
The side clips, or welts, are also composed of a plate and four flanges, four holes
also being provided for the insertion of the rivets. The leather strips are likely
to be pressed out of shape and to jut out especially at the inner edge of the sole,
more especially in wet weather. To prevent this as it might lead to accidents,
little attachments called bracelets, are provided. These so-called bracelets are cast
in aluminium.
Their upper part, or plate, is provided with the same depression, or hollow, from
the front to the rear flange, as exists in the clip or welt plates. The plate is fixed.
on the upper face of the sole, by two tacks or nails, with flat heads, placed diagonally
at its angles.
The extensions of the bracelets are applied to the front and rear flanges of the
shoe, the strips composing which are thereby held in.
The nails used for fixing the shoe to the horse's hoof are made of very malleable
iron, the shank being such as horse-shoeing nails usually have. The head is flat
above and below; its shape is circular. The nail, thus made, easily penetrates
the sole.
:
The nails, which are used to prevent slipping, are made of aluminium, or steel,,
and consist of a flat part, or plate, of oval shape from 1 to 1 millimeters thick.
On the surface of the plate, and of a piece with it, are fixed 5 nails, one at the.

page_text: centre and four at the sides. These nails are driven in, on the lower face of the
shoe or sole, by a few blows of a hammer, without any danger of blunting the tacks
of the said lower face. Special drive-bolts may be used, consisting of a round steel
shank, or made in facets, one of the ends being flat to receive the blows of the
hammer, whilst the other end enchases the 5 nails.
But the use of a simple hammer in the ordinary way will be found most
convenient.
These nails may be taken out with pincers, but when once their points are worn
down, it is better to leave them in their place.
Dated this 20th day of March 1896
L. DUVINAGE,
Agent for Applicant.
I, PAUL PRINCE of Angers in the Republic of France, Horse-doctor, do hereby 1
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
The system of shoeing horses, which is the object of this invention, rests on two
essential points, viz., instead of the ordinary iron shoe, a sole is provided, made of
leather, and this sole is fitted to the hoof of the horse by four nails and by one or
three clips. The advantages aimed at by this system are lightness of the shoe,
the use of four nails only, an important preventive against slipping, and the
preservation of the horny substance of the hoof. The shape and width of the shoe
are made to conform to the configuration of the hoof to which it is applied. Its
thickness is about 8 to 12 millimeters, according to the number of thicknesses of
leather, which may be two or three, that are used in its manufacture.
Referring to the annexed drawings:
Figs. 1 to 7 represent the principal or front clip for the fore feet, in several
views,
Figs. 8 to 14 are the same views of the front clip, for the hind feet,
Figs. 15 to 21 represent the side clip in several views,
Fig. 22 shows a frost-nail,
Fig. 23 shows a track-nail,
Fig. 24 is a top view of the horse-shoe,
Fig. 25 a view of the lower face of the same,
Fig. 26 is a section through the strips of leather showing the shape of the
openings in the upper strip,
Fig. 27 is a broken lateral view of the shoe showing the mode of fastening of
the strips of leather,
Fig. 28 is a perspective view of the shoe,
Fig. 29 shows the shoe applied to one foot of a horse,
Fig. 30 shows a tool for sinking the nails and
Fig. 31 shows the bracelets.
The sole in question may be described as in speaking of an ordinary iron shoe.
Like it, it has two faces, the upper one, on which the foot rests, slightly concave,
from one edge to the other, while the other one forms a plane surface and rests ou
the ground. Nails may be put in any part of this face, to keep it from wearing
out too rapidly and pegs may be used to prevent slipping.
The sole, above described is formed by laying, one above another, two or three
strips of leather, closely joined to each other by rivets, which are put in a few

page_text: millimeters away from the edges of the sole. Only two layers of leather are used
when lightness is of more importance than hardness.
The leather must be of very good quality and well tanned. It is to be hammered
and its thickness should be about 4 millimeters.
Moreover the leather should have been soaked for about 3 months in a bath of
fat oil of turpentine; in this time it will be thoroughly penetrated. The object
of this process is to make the leather capable of resisting the effects of either
dryness or dampness.
The excess of oil can be removed by mechanical or hand pressure. I have
mentioned the use of one or three clips; one of these, which may be called the
principal, is situated in the front of the sole, in the toe-part. The two others
which I shall denominate the side ones, are placed in the lateral region of the hoof
or in that of the quarters.
These three clips are present in soles made with three thicknesses of leather, but
bracelets may be substituted for them. The clips cast in aluminium and finished
off with a file, are joined to the leather strips by rivets and by the extensions of
their lower edges. Aluminium, being a light and malleable metal, gives sufficient
resistance to wear and slipping. The principal clip may be divided into a body
or table a and four edges-one behind, one in front, and two at the sides. The
upper face of the table intended to come into contact with the hoof, is slightly
concave. This concavity, or depression, which extends from the front to the rear
edge measures a millimeter at the centre of the width of the table. This face is
furrowed with grooves, one millimeter deep, crossing each other in lozenge-shape,
this marking being produced in the casting; the roughness of the casting is
preserved on this face.
The table is furnished with four round holes passing through its entire thickness,
and intended to receive the rivets, to which their dimensions are made to correspond
as much as possible. Moreover, in the centre of the table, or almost so; there is a
circular opening 6 the diameter of which varies between six and fourteen millimeters.
The purpose of this opening is to diminish the weight of the clip and as it is
countersunk in the lower face of the table, whatever substances may be introduced,
at the time the sole is put ou, will be partly retained therein. The lower face of
the table rests on the second strip of leather; it is smooth and possesses the same
openings as the upper face.
The central opening being countersunk up to two-thirds of the thickness of the
table, its diameter is larger than that which has just been described as on the
upper face.
The front edge is convex and the rear edge concave; the curvatures, which are
more pronounced for the hind-feet than for the fore-feet, are made to conform to
the configuration of the hoof and can be readily altered by the file, according to
circumstances when affixing. The front edge is surmounted by the clip c, properly
so called, which takes the form of a triangle with a rounded apex, and is prolonged,
in its lower part, so as to reach the level of the lower face of the sole.
It frequently happens that owing to an irregularity in the limbs of the animal,
the right or left of the shoe wears out sooner than the rest; in such cases, the rear
edge is extended from 25 to 28 millimeters to the right or left of the axis of the
clip, or welt (see Figs. 1 to 14).
The rear concave edge is a little shorter than the front edge; it is lengthened in
its lower part, under the same conditions as the front edge, but with a thickness of a
millimeter to a millimeter and a half; the purpose of this extension is to prevent
the crushing of the leather strips on that part of the inner edge of the sole which
hey cover.
The lateral rectilinear edges join the front and rear edges.
The lateral clips, or welts, have, like the principal clip, a body or plate and four
dges.
The shape of the plate is that of a trapezoid, the development of the forward
edge being 17 millimeters and that of the rear edge, 29 millimeters..

page_text: The upper face of the plate a¹ has a depression like that which exists in the prate
of the principal clip, it may be crossed with grooves, bat at all events the roughness
of the casting must he preserved.
On this upper face, four holes will be noticed, intended to receive the rivets and
there is also an oval opening b' near the centre of the plate, the greater diameter of
which is 15 millimeters. This opening lightens the clips and allows the introduction
of nails for fixing the sole to the hoof, when necessary to put them in the place
occupied by the clips.
:
The lower face is a reproduction of the upper one, except that it is smooth,
that is to say without groovings. The front couvex edge is lengthened, in its
upper part, by a square clip c¹ rounded at its free corners. The front edge is
extended in its lower part, under similar conditions to the principal clip, for the
purpose of preventing too rapid a wearing of the inner and outer branches of the
sole, in the lateral region of the hoof or the quarters, which is often the result of
an irregularity of the limbs.
The rear convex edge is prolonged in its lower part so as to allow of its reaching
the level of the lower face of the sole.
The lateral clips, or welts, contribute to the solidity of the sole; they prevent
its becoming displaced under the hoof especially at the time of fixing and by the
extension of their rear edge, they preveut the crushing of the sole at its inside
edge.
The leather strips are likely to become crushed and then they protrude chiefly at
the inside edge of the sole. This accident takes place in the branches of the sole,
when exposed to damp weather. To prevent it, I apply to the parts needing protection
some small accessories which I call bracelets (see Fig. 31). These bracelets are cast
in aluminium. The upper part, or the plate, has the same depression from the front
to the rear edge as exists in the clip plates.
On the face of the plate, Fig. 23 (which comes in contact with the ground) and
formed in one piece with it, there are five blunt brads, or tacks, arranged one in
the centre and four at the sides; the length of these brads or tacks and the width
of their base varies according to the number of the nails (generally four); the
central one is quadrangular; the four placed at the edge of the plate are
triangular. This face is here called the lower one. The upper face of the plate is
furuished at the ends of its greater diameter with a triangular brad, of a piece with
the plate. To drive in these brads, a special drive-bolt (Fig. 30) may be used,
cousisting of a steel rod, either round or bevelled, one of the ends of which, being
plane, receives the blows of the hammer, whilst the other end surrounds the five
brads and bears only on the parts corresponding to the base of the two brads which
are intended to enter the sole. A simple bammer, however will, generally speaking
be more practical than auy special tool. To manufacture a sole of 3 thicknesses
three strips of leather are cut out, with a punch, or similar tool, to match the
dimensions and width of the hoof.
On two of these strips, the principal clip is applied in the place which it is
intended to occupy, and with a pencil, or other marker, the exact outline of the lowe
extension of the rear edge is traced. Then, with a punch, or similar tool and a
chisel, the block of leather is cut out as marked e, f, g, (Fig. 25). After this is done
these two strips are joined by putting in the rivets and then the principal clip is pu
in the place reserved for it, after which the fixing is effected by the help of fou
rivets, which are inserted in the 4 holes of the plate; the riveting is performed i
the usual way, on the lower face of the third strip.
There will now be two parts to fill on the upper face of the second strip. Th
strip not yet used is cut into two parts, of corresponding dimensions to the two empt
spaces and they are arranged so as to exactly fit against the lateral edges of th
principal clip, or welt. They are fastened to the two strips already united by rivets
the heads of which rest upou the upper face of the first strip and they are arrange
in such a manner that the part to be riveted will terminate at the lower face of th
sole between the rivets already existing there (Fig. 27). Then the lateral clip

page_text: ees are put on, at the places determinated by the configuration of the hoof
and they are fixed in position by four or two rivets in the same way as the principal
clip, or welt.
The thickness of the plate of the lateral clips and of that of the bracelets, being
5 approximately a millimeter, it is enclosed on the upper face of the first strip of
leather, previously hollowed out with a cutting-out knife. The lower extensions of
the rear edges of the lateral clips and the extensions of the two edges of the bracelets.
rest against the edges of the sole.
These extensions may be lodged in the strips, by means of a small notch formed on
0 their edges; but it is better to allow them to project beyond them (at the inner edge
of the sole) in order not to touch upon the leather. Only the forward extensions are
embedded at the front edge of the sole.
Before fixing in their place the two portions of leather which form the first
strip, or upper part of the sole, four rectangular and longitudinal openings are
formed by means of a punch (the angles being rounded or not), two of them between
the clips and two between the lateral clips and the ends of the branches of the sole
(Figs. 24 & 28).
Thus arranged, these four openings will ensure the correct fitting of the upper-
face of the sole and they serve to enclose the substances which may be introduced.
at the time of shoeing. As has been shewn, the upper face of the clip and bracelet
plates is slightly concave from the forward to the rear edge. A similar depression.
is formed on those parts of the leather which are applied against the lateral edge
of the clips, and of the bracelets, by slightly operating on the leather with a.
cutting-out knife.
Once the sole is formed, the lower extensions of the clips and bracelets are
brought, by means of a file, to the level of the lower face of the sole; it is
sometimes necessary to give the free ends of the branches of the sole a greater
thickness than to the rest of the sole, all that is needed, in this case, is to insert,
between the first and second strips, a tongue of leather of the desired thickness,
bevelled at its forward or entering end, and to fix it to the stripe by rivets or pegs.
What has been said as 10 the manufacture of a sole with three thicknesses of
leather, applies equally to one of two pieces.
Before fixing the sole in position, its upper face is covered with a light coating
f hoof-ointment, Venetian turpentine, or tar, and the substance so applied must
ce allowed to penetrate into the openings of the first strip of leather as well as
n the openings of the plates of the clips and bracelets. The above-named.
ubstances favour the preservation of the leather and the horny substance of the
oof; they also serve to exclude humidity between the sole and the hoof. Lastly
he sole is placed under the hoof and the insertion of the nails is proceeded with in
he usual way.
The hoof being set down and the opposite limb raised, the nails are riveted and.
y a few blows of a shoeing hammer the upper extensions of the clip or clips are
eaten down on the wall of the shoe. Finally the shoe is affixed by the smith in
e usual way and with the usual tools.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
on and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
im is:
1. A horse-shoe, made of leather instead of iron and fitted to the hoof by four
ils and by one or three clips or welts as above described and as shewn in the
companying drawing.
2. The process of manufacturing horse-shoes above described.
Dated this 19th day of n
L. DUVINAGE,
Agent for Applicant.

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Mar., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 21st Dec., 1896-Accepted, 20th Feb., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Horse-shoes.
PAUL PRINCE of Angers in the Republic of France, Horse-doctor, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The invention which forms the subject of this application is a leather shoe or
sole, fitted to the horse's hoof by 4 nails and 1 or 3 clips and forming a complete
substitute for the ordinary horse-shoe.
The article in question is light, and possesses the advantage of preventing the
horse from slipping, while it preserves the horny substance of the hoof. It is
recommendable only for light draught and saddle horses and should be used only
for the fore feet.
The shape of the shoe, or sole, is adapted to that of the hoof it is intended to
protect.
The sole in question is made by placing strips of leather, 2 or 3 in number, on
top of each other, uniting them by rivets, fixed close to the edges of the sole.
The leather must be of good quality, well tanned and hammered, its thickness
being about 4 millimeters. Moreover the leather must have been steeped in a bath
of heavy oil of turpentine for about three months so that it may be completely
saturated. The object of this is to make the leather capable of resisting the effects
of either dryness or dampness.
The principal clip or welt consists of a body or plate with four flanges one in
front, one behind and two at the sides.
The plate is pierced with 4 holes for the insertion of the rivets. The upper
surface, which comes into contact with the hoof, is slightly concave.
This depression, which is continued from the front to the back flange, is a
millimeter in depth at the centre of the width of the plate.
In the casting, grooves crossing each other in lozenge-shape are formed on the
said upper surface and are about a millimeter in depth. The rugosity of the casting
is allowed to remain on this surface.
The side clips, or welts, are also composed of a plate and four flanges, four holes
also being provided for the insertion of the rivets. The leather strips are likely
to be pressed out of shape and to jut out especially at the inner edge of the sole,
more especially in wet weather. To prevent this as it might lead to accidents,
little attachments called bracelets, are provided. These so-called bracelets are cast
in aluminium.
Their upper part, or plate, is provided with the same depression, or hollow, from
the front to the rear flange, as exists in the clip or welt plates. The plate is fixed
on the upper face of the sole, by two tacks or nails, with flat heads, placed diagonally
at its angles.
The extensions of the bracelets are applied to the front and rear flanges of the
shoe, the strips composing which are thereby held in.
The nails used for fixing the shoe to the horse's hoof are made of very malleable
iron, the shank being such as horse-shoeing nails usually have. The head is flat
above and below; its shape is circular. The nail, thus made, easily penetrates
the sole.
The nails, which are used to prevent slipping, are made of aluminium, or steel,
and consist of a flat part, or plate, of oval shape from 1 to 1 millimeters thick.
On the surface of the plate, and of a piece with it, are fixed 5 nails, one at the
+

page_text: centre and four at the sides. These nails are driven in, on the lower face of the
shoe or sole, by a few blows of a hammer, without any danger of blunting the tacks
of the said lower face. Special drive-bolts may be used, consisting of a round steel
shank, or made in facets, one of the ends being flat to receive the blows of the
hammer, whilst the other end enchases the 5 nails.
But the use of a simple hammer in the ordinary way will be found most
convenient.
These nails may be taken out with pincers, but when once their points are worn
down, it is better to leave them in their place.
Dated this 30th day of March 1896.
L. DUVINAGE,
Agent for Applicant.
I, PAUL PRINCE of Angers in the Republic of France, Horse-doctor, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
The system of shoeing horses, which is the object of this invention, rests on two
essential points, viz., instead of the ordinary iron shoe, a sole is provided, made of
leather, and this sole is fitted to the hoof of the horse by four nails and by one or
three clips. The advantages aimed at by this system are lightness of the shoe,
the use of four nails only, an important preventive against slipping, and the
preservation of the horny substance of the hoof. The shape and width of the shoe
are made to conform to the configuration of the hoof to which it is applied. Its
thickness is about 8 to 12 millimeters, according to the number of thicknesses of
leather, which may be two or three, that are used in its manufacture.
Referring to the annexed drawings:
Figs. 1 to 7 represent the principal or front clip for the fore feet, in several
views,
Figs. 8 to 14 are the same views of the front clip, for the hind feet,
Figs. 15 to 21 represent the side clip in several views,
Fig. 22 shows a frost-nail,
Fig. 23 shows a track-nail,
Fig. 24 is a top view of the horse-shoe,
Fig. 25 a view of the lower face of the same,
Fig. 26 is a section through the strips of leather showing the shape of the
openings in the upper strip,
Fig. 27 is a broken lateral view of the shoe showing the mode of fastening of
the strips of leather,
Fig. 28 is a perspective view of the shoe,
Fig. 29 shows the shoe applied to one foot of a horse,
Fig. 30 shows a tool for sinking the nails and
Fig. 31 shows the bracelets.
The sole in question may be described as in speaking of an ordinary iron shoe.
Like it, it has two faces, the upper one, on which the foot rests, slightly concave,
from one edge to the other, while the other one forms a plane surface and rests ou
the ground. Nails may be put in any part of this face, to keep it from wearing
out too rapidly and pegs may be used to prevent slipping.
The sole, above described is formed by laying, one above another, two or three
strips of leather, closely joined to each other by rivets, which are put in a few

page_text: millimeters away from the edges of the sole. Only two layers of leather are used
when lightness is of more importance than hardness.
The leather must be of very good quality and well tanned. It is to be hammered
and its thickness should be about 4 millimeters.
Moreover the leather should have been soaked for about 3 months in a bath of
fat oil of turpentine; in this time it will be thoroughly penetrated. The object
of this process is to make the leather capable of resisting the effects of either
dryness or dampness.
The excess of oil can be removed by mechanical or hand pressure. I have
mentioned the use of one or three clips; one of these, which may be called the
principal, is situated in the front of the sole, in the toe-part. The two others
which I shall denominate the side ones, are placed in the lateral region of the hoof
or in that of the quarters.
These three clips are present in soles made with three thicknesses of leather, but
bracelets may be substituted for them. The clips cast in aluminium and finished
off with a file, are joined to the leather strips by rivets and by the extensions of
their lower edges. Aluminium, being a light and malleable metal, gives sufficient
resistance to wear and slipping. The principal clip may be divided into a body
or table a and four edges--one behind, one in front, and two at the sides. The
upper face of the table intended to come into contact with the hoof, is slightly
concave. This concavity, or depression, which extends from the front to the rear
edge measures a millimeter at the centre of the width of the table. This face is
furrowed with grooves, one millimeter deep, crossing each other in lozenge-shape,
this marking being produced in the casting; the roughness of the casting is
preserved on this face.
The table is furnished with four round holes passing through its entire thickness,
and intended to receive the rivets, to which their dimensions are made to correspond
as much as possible. Moreover, in the centre of the table, or almost so, there is a
circular opening 6 the diameter of which varies between six and fourteen millimeters.
The purpose of this opening is to diminish the weight of the clip and as it is
countersunk in the lower face of the table, whatever substances may be introduced,
at the time the sole is put on, will be partly retained therein. The lower face of
the table rests on the second strip of leather; it is smooth and possesses the same
openings as the upper face.
The central opening being countersunk up to two-thirds of the thickness of the
table, its diameter is larger than that which has just been described as on the
upper face.
The front edge is convex and the rear edge concave; the curvatures, which are
more pronounced for the hind-feet than for the fore-feet, are made to conform to
the configuration of the hoof and can be readily altered by the file, according to
circumstances when affixing. The front edge is surmounted by the clip c, properly
so called, which takes the form of a triangle with a rounded apex, and is prolonged,
in its lower part, so as to reach the level of the lower face of the sole.
It frequently happens that owing to an irregularity in the limbs of the animal,
the right or left of the shoe wears out sooner than the rest; in such cases, the rear
edge is extended from 25 to 28 millimeters to the right or left of the axis of the
clip, or welt (see Figs. 1 to 14).
The rear concave edge is a little shorter than the front edge; it is lengthened in
its lower part, under the same conditions as the front edge, hut with a thickness of a
millimeter to a millimeter and a half; the purpose of this extension is to prevent
the crushing of the leather strips on that part of the inner edge of the sole which
they cover.
The lateral rectilinear edges join the front and rear edges.
The lateral clips, or welts, have, like the principal clip, a body or plate and four
edges.

page_text: The upper face of the plate a¹ has a depression like that which exists in the plate
of the principal clip, it may be crossed with grooves, bat at all events the roughness
of the casting must be preserved.
On this upper face, four holes will be noticed, intended to receive the rivets and
there is also an oval opening 6' near the centre of the plate, the greater diameter of
which is 15 millimeters. This opening lightens the clips and allows the introduction
of nails for fixing the sole to the hoof, when necessary to put them in the place
occupied by the clips.
The lower face is a reproduction of the upper one, except that it is smooth,
that is to say without groovings. The front convex edge is lengthened, in its
upper part, by a square clip c¹ rounded at its free corners. The front edge is
extended in its lower part, under similar conditions to the principal clip, for the
purpose of preventing too rapid a wearing of the inner and outer branches of the
sole, in the lateral region of the hoof or the quarters, which is often the result of
an irregularity of the limbs.
The rear convex edge is prolonged in its lower part so as to allow of its reaching
the level of the lower face of the sole.
The lateral clips, or welts, contribute to the solidity of the sole; they prevent
its becoming displaced under the hoof especially at the time of fixing and by the
extension of their rear edge, they prevent the crushing of the sole at its inside
edge.
The leather strips are likely to become crushed and then they protrude chiefly at
the inside edge of the sole. This accident takes place in the branches of the sole,
when exposed to damp weather. To prevent it, I apply to the parts needing protection
some small accessories which I call bracelets (see Fig. 31). These bracelets are cast
in aluminium. The upper part, or the plate, has the same depression from the front
to the rear edge as exists in the clip plates.
On the face of the plate, Fig. 23 (which comes in contact with the ground) and
formed in one piece with it, there are five blunt brads, or tacks, arranged one in
the centre and four at the sides; the length of these brads or tacks and the width
of their base varies according to the number of the nails (generally four); the
central one is quadrangular; the four placed at the edge of the plate are
triangular. This face is here called the lower one. The upper face of the plate is
furnished at the ends of its greater diameter with a triangular brad, of a piece with
the plate. To drive in these brads, a special drive-bolt (Fig. 30) may be used,
consisting of a steel rod, either round or bevelled, one of the ends of which, being
plane, receives the blows of the hammer, whilst the other end surrounds the five
brads and bears only on the parts corresponding to the base of the two brads which
are intended to enter the sole. A simple hammer, however will, generally speaking
be more practical than any special tool. To manufacture a sole of 3 thicknesses,
three strips of leather are cut out, with a punch, or similar tool, to match the
dimensions and width of the hoof.
On two of these strips, the principal clip is applied in the place which it is
intended to occupy, and with a pencil, or other marker, the exact outline of the lower
extension of the rear edge is traced. Then, with a punch, or similar tool and a
chisel, the block of leather is cut out as marked e, f, g, (Fig. 25). After this is done
these two strips are joined by putting in the rivets and then the principal clip is put
in the place reserved for it, after which the fixing is effected by the help of four
rivets, which are inserted in the 4 holes of the plate; the riveting is performed in
the usual way, on the lower face of the third strip.
There will now be two parts to fill on the upper face of the second strip. The
strip not yet used is cut into two parts, of corresponding dimensions to the two empty
spaces and they are arranged so as to exactly fit against the lateral edges of the
principal clip, or welt. They are fastened to the two strips already united by rivets
the heads of which rest upon the upper face of the first strip and they are arranged
in such a manner that the part-to-be-riveted-will-terminate-at-the-lower-face.of.the
. sole, between the rivets already existing there (Fig. 27). Then the lateral clips

page_text: and bracelets are put on, at the places determinatel by the configuration of the hoof
and they are fixed in position by four or two rivets in the same way as the principal
clip, or welt.
The thickness of the plate of the lateral clips and of that of the bracelets, being
approximately a millimeter, it is enclosed on the upper face of the first strip of
leather, previously hollowed out with a cutting-out knife. The lower extensions of
the rear edges of the lateral clips and the extensions of the two edges of the bracelets.
rest against the edges of the sole.
These extensions may be lodged in the strips, by means of a small notch formed on
their edges; but it is better to allow them to project beyond them (at the inner edge
of the sole) in order not to touch upon the leather. Only the forward extensions are
embedded at the front edge of the sole.
Before fixing in their place the two portions of leather which form the first
strip, or upper part of the sole, four rectangular and longitudinal openings are
formed by means of a punch (the angles being rounded or not), two of them between
the clips and two between the lateral clips and the ends of the branches of the sole
(Figs. 24 & 28).
Thus arranged, these four openings will ensure the correct fitting of the upper
face of the sole and they serve to enclose the substances which may be introduced.
at the time of shoeing. As has been shewn, the upper face of the clip and bracelet
plates is slightly concave from the forward to the rear edge. A similar depression.
is formed on those parts of the leather which are applied against the lateral edge
of the clips, and of the bracelets, by slightly operating on the leather with a
cutting-out knife.
Once the sole is formed, the lower extensions of the clips and bracelets are
brought, by means of a file, to the level of the lower face of the sole; it is
sometimes necessary to give the free ends of the branches of the sole a greater-
thickness than to the rest of the sole, all that is needed, in this case, is to insert,
between the first and second strips, a tongue of leather of the desired thickness,
bevelled at its forward or entering end, and to fix it to the strips by rivets or pegs.
What has been said as to the manufacture of a sole with three thicknesses of
leather, applies equally to one of two pieces.
Before fixing the sole in position, its upper face is covered with a light coating
cf hoof-ointment, Venetian turpentine, or tar, and the substance so applied must
be allowed to penetrate into the openings of the first strip of leather as well as
in the openings of the plates of the clips and bracelets. The above-named
substances favour the preservation of the leather and the horny substance of the
hoof; they also serve to exclude humidity between the sole and the hoof. Lastly
the sole is placed under the hoof and the insertion of the nails is proceeded with in.
the usual way.
The hoof being set down and the opposite limb raised, the nails are riveted and.
by a few blows of a shoeing hammer the upper extensions of the clip or clips are
beaten down on the wall of the shoe. Finally the shoe is affixed by the smith in
he usual way and with the usual tools.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
ion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
laim is:
1. A horse-shoe, made of leather instead of iron and fitted to the hoof by four-
ails and by one or three clips or welts as above described and as shewn in the
ccompanying drawing.
2. The process of manufacturing horse-shoes above described.
L. DUVINAGE,
Agent for Applicant.