AN IMPROVED HORSE'S SHOE, WHICH I DENOMINATE THE BEVELLED HEEL EXPANDING SHOE
Year: 1823

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WOODMAN, late of York Barracks, York, in the County of York, but now
residing at Birmingham Barracks, Birmingham, Warwickshire, Veterinary
Surgeon, Second Dragoon Guards, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Fourth, in and by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Eleventh day of
September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-
three, and in the fourth year of His reign, for Himself and His successors,
did give and grant unto me, the said William Woodman, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said William Woodman, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, and every of them, by myself and themselves, or by my
or their deputy, deputies, servants or agents, or such others, as I, the said
William Woodman, my executors, administrators, and 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 night make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed (and also in all His Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad).
my Invention of "AN IMPROVED HORSE'S SHOE, WHICH I DENOMINATE THE
BEVELLED HEEL EXPANDING SHOE;" in which said Letters Patent there is
contained a proviso obliging me, the said William Woodman, by an instru-

page_text: ment in writing under my hand and seal, to particularly describe and ascer-
tain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within two calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said recited Letters Patent, otherwise all liberties and advan-
tages whatsoever thereby granted shall utterly cease, determine, and become
void, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto had, may more fully and
at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Woodman, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention by
the following description thereof, and the manner in which the same is to be
performed and carried into effect by the annexed Sheet of Drawings or
Plans, reference being thereunto had, and to the particular explanation
thereof.
measure to remove.
In order to convey correct ideas respecting the nature of my said Invention,
it will be necessary that I should point out some of the defects which I consider
to exist in the form of horse's shoes such as have hitherto been generally in
use, and which defects my improved shoes are adapted to diminish, or in great
Horses shod with the best form of common shoe, on a
class of hoofs which are strong and horny, are very subject to lameness from
the heels and frogs of the feet becoming contracted or narrow. This contrac-
tion I consider to be produced in a great degree by the heavy pressure or
bearing of the heel part of the shoe upon the heel or hind part of the hoof
beyond that part which is usually denominated the bars, thereby preventing
the free motion, or contraction and expansion of the heel of the hoof, which
is occasioned by the horse's working. If the heel part of the shoe before
mentioned was totally cut off, it would leave no protection to the hind part
of the hoof, which is particularly necessary in travelling over rough and heavy
roads; at the same time the base of the shoe or surface tread of the horse
would be found too little in wet weather, when the horn of the hoof has
become softened. These defects are found to be greatly obviated by the
peculiar form of the heel-part of my improved shoe, which is inclined or
bevelled off upon the upper surface, both in a lateral and posterior direction,
in such a manner that when the shoe is applied upon the horse's foot, the
pressure and bearing of the said shoe will be in all cases anterior to the bars,
to the extent in some cases of three eights of an inch, more or less, according
to the form and state of the foot. By this improved form of shoe, the heel or
bind part of the hoof will be at liberty to contract and expand when the
horse is in the act of working; at the same time a full and sufficient

page_text: bearing will be afforded upon the ground by the under side of the shoe. In
this mode of shoeing, the horn of the hind part of the hoof will occasionally
grow down between the periods of shoeing, so as to touch the bevelled or
inclined part of the shoe, but the bearing and pressure will not be in a suffi-
cient degree to produce the mischiefs above stated, particularly, since the form
of the bevelled part of my improved shoe is such (from its lateral bevel
outwards) that the weight of the horse would tend rather to open the heel
and form a good foot and frog than to produce contraction and waste, or
destroy the frog.
:
Figure 1, upon the annexed Drawing, is supposed to represent the under or
ground side of a horse's foot, having one of my improved shoes applied upon it.
The dotted lines A, A, shew the part of the foot which is usually denominated
the bars; and the dotted lines B, B, are supposed to represent the direction of
the bevel of the heel of the shoe, which is more distinctly seen in the elevation,
Figure 2, wherein the dotted line A represents the situation of the bars,
shewing how the bevelled part B of the heel of the shoe commences anterior
to the bars, thereby leaving the hind part of the hoof at liberty to expand
and contract, at the same time preventing the effects of concussions against
the hind part of the hoof, which the horse must experience when the heel
part of the shoe is so formed as to press firmly into contact with the heel or
hind part of the hoof.
Figure 3, upon the Drawing, represents the upper side of the shoe, which
is to be applied to the horse's foot, the bevelled heel being seen at B, B, by
the dark shade of colour. The surfaces of the bevels on the opposite sides
of the shoe are not in one plane, but are inclined to each other in a lateral
direction outwards, as herein-before mentioned, so that the weight of the
horse may tend to open the heels. When the horn of the hoof has grown
down (between the periods of shoeing) so as to touch the bevelled part of
the shoe, the ground or under side of the shoe may be made flat, as repre-
sented in the Figure 2 (or the heel part of the shoe may be slightly bent or
twisted downwards, as represented by the dotted lines D, in Figure 2, which
bend would produce the same effect as the bevelled part before mentioned,
viz, of releiving the heavy pressure against the hind part of the hoof, and
would leave the shoe thicker and stronger behind, which is advisable in feet
with flat soles and low heels).
I hereby declare, that I confine my claim of Invention to the 'improved
shoe, which I denominate the Bevelled Heel-expanding Shoe, the form of the
heel part of the said shoe being inclined or bevilled as aforesaid, and then
applied upon the foot in such a situation that the bearing and pressure may

page_text: take place at a point somewhat anterior to the bars, to produce the effects
which have been herein-before stated and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Woodman, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-three.
WILLIAM (L.s.) WOODMAN.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twenty-eighth day of
October, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid William Woodman came
before our Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifi-
cation aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.
STEPTAT AL SITOLOG