Improvements in Hoof Expanders.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 9th Aug., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hoof Expanders.
I, SAMUEL WEBSTER MACKEY, a citizen of the United States of America, and
resident of 1126 East Baltimore Street, Baltimore, in the County of Baltimore and
State of Maryland, United States of America, Collector, 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 :-
This invention relates to certain improvements in hoof expanders for horses and it
has for its objects to preserve the foot of the animal in a normal condition after being
shod, and to restore it to such condition should it become injured.
The frog of a horse's foot in exercising its natural functions in travelling keeps
the hoof expanded properly but when a shoe is applied by preventing the contact of
the frog with the earth and by binding the hoof it gives rise to corns, lameness,
quarter cracks and other hoof troubles.
My invention is designed to obviate these objections and to provide an expander
which will exert a proper pressure upon the hoof so as to expand it outwardly; which
will be of little weight and which may be easily applied, removed and retained in
place and which can be so located as to be practically out of the way while the animal
is moving so that it cannot be readily injured.
In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification:
Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of a horse's hoof showing my invention applied
thereto.
Fig. 2 represents a front view of a horse's hoof showing a portion of the device
by which the improved expander may be attached.
Fig. 3 represents a rear view of the hoof showing my invention applied thereto.
Fig. 4 represents a perspective view of a circlet or strap employed for attaching the
hoof expander to the hoof for heavy work.
Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the hoof showing my invention applied.
Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of one form of the expander attached, and
Fig. 7 is a side elevation of an instrument to be employed in fitting the expander to
the hoof and removing the same.
3
Referring to the drawings, the letter A indicates the hoof expander, which consists
of a single piece of wire having three circular bends midway between its ends as
indicated by the letters a, b, and c, and bent forwardly near its ends as indicated by
the letter d, the ends being bent laterally at about right angles and terminating in
pointed projections e which enter recesses in the inner walls of the quarters of the
hoof when in place. The circular bends of the expander when in position extend up
back of the heel of the hoof as shown, so as to allow the ends to play freely laterally
and be out of the way of the lower surface of the foot. The letter B indicates a strap
by means of which the expander may be secured to the hoof. The said strap is pro-
vided with a buckle g, at one end and with a series of tongue openings at the other by
means of which the strap may be secured around and tightened upon the hoof as
shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. In securing the expan ler, the strap is preferably
passed through the circular bends a, and c, of the expander as shown in Fig. 1 and the
ends buckled together as shown in Fig. 2. The letter C indicates a short metallic bar
which rests against the toe of the hoof and which is provided at its lower end with a
short inwardly projecting spike or spur h which sets in a recess made for the purpose
in the lower edge of the hoof between the hoof and the shoe so as to hold the bar in
place. The bar on its forward face is provided with staples or loops i, through which
one or more of the securing straps may be passed to hold the expander in place.
The strap B is employed to hold the expander in place when the animal is stabled

page_text: or is employed for light work but when employed for heavy work a circlet D, as
shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is substituted. The said circlet consists of a band of leather
or other material broadened midway between its ends and terminating at said ends in
straps, one of which is provided with a buckle and the other with tongue apertures for
fastening the ends together. The broadened or front portion of the circlet is provided
with a pocket or pouch k, which may be passed over the circular bends and rear
portion of the expander so as to enclose, support and protect the same. The forward
face of the circlet inside the pocket has secured to it a looped strap 1, which engages
below the central circular bend or the central portion of the expander to hold it in
place.
The front of the pocket opposite the loop of the strap is provided with an opening m,
through which said loop may be passed and fastened by one end of a securing strap as
shown in Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawing.
In securing the loop to the circlet D, its ends are preferably passed through slots
formed in the circlet and stitched to the back thereof as shown in Fig. 5.
This construction prevents the lower end of the strap from interfering with the
application of the circlet to the expander and the hoof.
The expander shown in Fig. 6 differs from the one shown in the other figures only
in that it has the loops a, c, turned upwardly instead of downwardly. Either form
may be employed and the number of loops may be increased or decreased without
departing from the invention in the least. The tool I prefer to employ to remove and
apply the expander is shown in Fig. 7 and it consists simply of a pair of tong-like
levers pivoted together and provided near their forward ends on their inner faces with
notches a adapted to engage the arms of the expander as is evident.
As constructed it will be seen that the expander may be used with a shoe or
independently thereof and by being made of spring brass or steel wire may be
constructed to give a pressure of from fifteen to twenty pounds to the hoof and
may be made to fit hoof's of various sizes and applied so as to effect a cure in hoofs
that may have been previously injured or to preserve a natural hoof in its normal
condition..
It will be further observed that the expander may be applied to and removed from
the hoof by the use of the instrument shown without employing skilled labor and
that as it is wholly out of the way and secured to the heel of the hoof when in
position it is protected from injury and wear which would occur if placed at the sole
of the foot.
It is evident that the spring or expander may be made of any form so long as it is
so constructed to extend within the quarters of the hoof and up over the same on the
outside, without departing from the spirit of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The combination with a, hoof expander adapted to be fitted to the heel of the
hoof and extended upwardly over the quarters of the hoof, of a front plate having a
spur or spike at its lower end and loops on its forward face and a strap whereby the
expander may be secured to the hoof, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. The combination with a hoof expander constructed as described, of a circlet
provided with a pocket at its front and fastening devices at its ends whereby it may
be secured around the hoof and over the expander so as to secure the same, sub-
stantially as specified.
3. The combination with a hoof expander adapted to be secured to the heel of the
hoof and extended upwardly over the quarters thereof, of a circlet D provided with a
pocket adapted to enclose and protect the upwardly extending portions of the expander,
a loop secured to the circlet and passing through a slot in the side of the pocket and
a strap encircling the hoof and passing through the loop outside of the pocket
substantially as described.

page_text: 4. A hoof expanding spring for horses having arms bent so as to be inserted
between the frog and the heel of the hoof and pressing outward, said spring being
adapted to pass upward over the quarter of the foot, substantially as and for the
purpose represented.
Dated this 28th day of Anvil 1000.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.