A NEW AND IMPROVED FORM OF CONSTRUCTION OF SHOES FOR HORSES
Year: 1820

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
COLEMAN, Professor of the Veterinary College, in the Parish of Saint
Pancras, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said Edward Coleman, did, by my Petition, humbly
represent to His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth
that I had, after considerable application and expence, invented or found out
"A NEW AND IMPROVED FORM OF CONSTRUCTION OF SHOES FOR HORSES," which I
believed would be of general benefit and advantage, that I was the true and
first inventor thereof, and that the same had not been made or used by any
other person or persons whomsoever to my knowledge or belief, and I there-
fore, by my said Petition, humbly prayed that His Majesty would be graciously
pleased to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, His
Royal Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of Great Britain, for the sole work-
ing, constructing, making, selling, using, and exercising of my said Invention,
and all and other benefit and advantage thereof, within that part of His
Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, called England,
His Dominion of Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the term
of fourteen years, according to the Statute in that case made and provided:
And whereas His said Majesty, being willing to give encouragement to all
arts and inventions which might be for the public good, was graciously
pleased to condescend to my request, and therefore by His Royal Letters
Patent, bearing date at Westminster, the Fifteenth day of Apiril, in the first
year of His reign, of His espcial grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion,

page_text: did give and grant unto me, the said Edward Coleman, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said Edward Coleman, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, and every of us, by myself and themselves, or by mine and our
deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the said Edward
Coleman, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend my said Invention within that part of His Majesty's said Kingdom
of Great Britain called England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the said Edward Coleman,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or any of us, should in my or
their discretion seem meet; and that I, the said Edward Coleman, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, should and lawfully might have and enjoy
the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage from time to time coming,
growing, accruing, and arising, by reason of the said Invention, for and
during the term of years therein mentioned, to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy
the said licence, powers, privileges, and advantages therein-before granted or
mentioned to be granted unto me, the said Edward Coleman, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, for and during and unto the full end and term of
fourteen years from the date of the said Presents next and immediately
ensuing, and fully to be complete and ended, according to the Statute in such
case made and provided. In which said Letters Patent there is contained a
proviso that if I, the said Edward Coleman, should not particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and
cause the same to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within two calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and
advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly cease, determine, and
become void, anything therein-before contained to the contrary thereof in
anywise notwithstanding, as in and by the said Letters Patent, relation being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said Edward
Coleman, do hereby declare that my said Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, are particularly described and ascertained in and
by the Plates or Figures in the margin of these Presents, and in and by the
explanation thereof, and of my said Invention herein-after contained.
And in order to shew the facts and causes that have led to my said Inven-

page_text: tion, I shall here observe that horses' hoofs, before they are shod, are more or
less circular, in proportion to the weight and action applied to the upper sur-
face of the horny sole, and to the lower surface of the frog. In the largest
horses, with the highest action, the hoofs are most circular. In all horses the
cavity of the hoof is completely filled with substances highly sensible. . The
object of shoeing is not only to preserve the various parts of the foot from
being injured or destroyed by artificial roads, but to retain their natural form,
structure, and functions. In this country it is found that the hoofs and frogs
of our most valuable horses used for active purposes, with small heads and
necks and light forequarters, with low action, and shod with common shoes,
generally become contracted, particularly at the heels. This very general
disease proceeds principally from the horse's frog being unnaturally raised from
the ground. In ordinary shoeing a rim of iron is placed round the lower edge
of the hoof, which elevates and keeps the frog about half an inch above its
natural bearing; and as the principal use of the frog is to preserve the upper
quarters and heels of the hoof expanded, and from its elasticity to act as a
spring to the animal, it follows that if the frog be so unnaturally raised above
its former situation it necessarily loses a considerable portion of its ordinary
pressure, and the hoof, instead of retaining its circular form, becomes con-
tracted at the quarters and heels, and elongated at the toe; the frog itself
from the want of pressure also contracts. When the horse's foot, without shoes,
comes in contact with the ground the horney sole descends and expands, and in
the same decree necessarily expands the lower quarters and heels of the hoof, but
from the pressure of ordinary shoes on the lower edge of the quarters and heels
of the crust in horses of light weight and low action, the expansion and elasticity
of these parts are in a great degree prevented, and concussion, inflamation, and
lameness often ensue. To preserve the frog and hoof from contraction and
various other diseases, the improved shoe is constructed. That part of the shoe
which is intended to be in contact with the crust is about one inch and a half
shorter than the common shoe, and has a clip at the toe to embrace the toe of
the hoof, as shewn at G, G, Figures 2 and 3. The shoe is made short to
remove all pressure of the shoe from the lower quarters and heels of the crust,
and thereby to admit the frée descent and expansion of the sole and the lower
quarters and heels of the crust. The heels of the shoe are made suddenly
thin and bevelled on both sides to avoid the contact and pressure of the ground
and hoof, which contact and pressure, if the heels were thick, would be liable
to press and wear this part of the crust beyond its growth. A shoe, however,
of this description can only be used with advantage in certain horses with high
heels, and only when the ground is dry. When wet the horn will wear away

page_text: faster than it grows, and the frog frequently will not have adequate pressure.
To prevent, therefore, the wear of the horn beyond its growth, and to give
pressure to the frog, a longitudinal bar of iron, which I have named the frog
bar, is firmly and permanently fixed either by welding, screwing, or rivetting
to the centre of the shoe, and is generally made anteriorly as thick as the
substance of the shoe itself, and extends backwards as far as the ends of the
heels of the frog. A frog bar may be added to a long shoe in the same man-
ner, but a short shoe, for the reasons assigned, is in most cases preferable. A
shoe made upon this principle will not only give pressure to the frog, but very
generally prevent contracted hoofs, flat feet, corns, sand cracks, thrushes,
cankers, and guittors, and is the best shoe to be used in the cure of these
maladies, and also to prevent cutting. The peculiar shape of the whole shoe
may be seen by reference to the Plates in the margin of these Presents.
Figure 2 represents the bottom or under part of the hoof with one of the shoes
attached. That part of the shoe which extends from A to B, and is intended
to be in contact with the crust, is about one inch and a half shorter than the
common shoe, and at the ends or heels C, C, is bevelled suddenly on the upper
and lower surface, which prevents the heels of the shoe from coming in con-
tact with the ground and crust. The exact shape of the bevelled part will be
better seen at a, a, Figure 3. To prevent the wear beyond the natural
growth of the lower heels and quarters of the hoof shewn at E, E, E, E,
Figure 2, and, in order to give pressure to the frog, I permanently and firmly
fix, either by welding, riveting, or screwing (the former of which I prefer)
the longitudinal flat piece of iron, called the frog bar, Figure 1, to the centre
of the shoe, as shewn at D, D, D, Figure 2. This part anteriorly is usually
made as thick as the substance of the shoe, but the posterior end of the
frog bar requires to be varied in thickness according to the depth of the
heels of the hoof and frog, and it's length is continued until it reaches the
ends of the lower heels of the frog. It will be seen that this bar is made
broader towards the heels of the frog, and should be rather wider than the
frog itself. And it will also be observed that at the posterior end of the frog
bar two points (F, F, F, F, F, Figures 1, 2, and 3) are turned up, which are
intended to act as a stop to the animal. To prevent cutting I employ only one,
and where the heels are high both points should be either omitted or made
shorter, so as to be on a level with the heels of the crust; where the heels
are low the points should be made rather higher. In all cases where points
are used they should incline a little towards the toe, as shewn at F, Figure 3.
The upper surface of the frog bar should be so adjusted as merely to touch
the lower and posterior surface of the frog; and that part of the frog which is

page_text: anterior to the cleft (opposite above to the coffin and navicular bones) should
have no pressure, but a space should be allowed to introduce a picker between
the frog bar and horny frog. To produce this effect it is sometimes necessary
to remove at this place a portion of the horny frog, and also to make the
opposite surface of the frog bar concave.
And I hereby declare that my said Invention consists in firmly and per-
manently fixing, by welding, rivetting, or screwing, the frog bar, as before
described, to a short shoe, as shewn Figure 2, D, D, D, or to any other shoe
that may be considered most suitable, by the use of which, when united
and combined in the way I have described, not only will the diseases I have
innumerated be generally prevented, but in most cases their cure will be
greatly facilitated. And I hereby further declare that neither of the parts
of the shoe, Figure 2, when taken separately, is claimed by me as a new
Invention. But my said Invention consists in firmly and permanently fixing
by welding, screwing, or riveting the longitudinal frog bar to the centre of the
shoe, as I have described Figure 2.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Coleman, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Tenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand night hundred and tant