AN IMPROVED HORSE SHOE
Year: 1884

page_text: I, FREDERICK ROBERTSON AIKMAN, V.C, of 7. Queens Gate, South Kensington,
in the County of Middlesex, Colonel in Her Majesty's Army, do hereby declare
the nature of my said invention for "AN IMPROVED HORSE SHOE," to be as
follows:
>
My Invention consists of an improvement in horse shoes. The shoe consists of
two iron or steel plates shaped as an ordinary horse shoe and corresponding in size.
The upper plate is nailed to the horses hoof and forms a permanent foundation or
bed for the other plate which comes in contact with the ground In the toe plate
of the former or foundation plate a groove is cut to receive a spring or catch or
other fastening attached to the underneath plate by which means the front part of
the two shoes is locked together. In this foundation plate there are two holes one
in each heel of the plate for the reception of iron hooks formed at the heel of the
underneath plate to form a catch or fastening and thus bind the heels of the two
iron shoes or plates together. Between these two iron shoes or plates I place springs
or a layer of indiarubber or equivalent material which forms a cushion. The
underneath shoe or plate which comes in contact with the ground corresponds in
shape with the upper plate, but has elongated heels which lap over the heels of
the upper foundation plate forming the hooks or catches as above mentioned and
are inserted in the holes of the heels of the upper plate.
In the underneath plate or that which comes in contact with the ground there
are a number of holes for the reception of steel studs having flat heads which
prevent the studs from falling out.
The studs are inserted from the inner side of this plate with their heads resting
on the intervening spring or cushion and their points protrude beyond the surface
of the underplate sufficiently to prevent the horse from slipping.

page_text: I, FREDERICK ROBERTSON AIкMAN V.C. of 7 Queens Gate South Kensington
Colonel in Her Majesty's Ariny do hereby declare the nature of the said
invention for AN IMPROVED HORSE SHOE" and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to. be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
"
This Invention has for its object 1st to obtain economy and other advantages
in shoeing horses by enabling the renewal of the shoe to be effected without
interfering with the means of fixing it to the hoof and by protecting the heads of
the nails employed for fixing it from wear.
2nd The advantage of being able by this system to impose the weight and
concussion exclusively on the wall or hardened part of the hoof without touching
the more sensitive and softer part of a tender footed horse, however broad the
shoe proper which comes in contact with the ground may happen to be made.
3rd The advantage of not having to tear out the old nails from the hoof each
time the shoe proper has to be replaced, and when the foundation plate itself has
to be removed, the advantage of being able to replace the same plate again, instead
of requiring a new one, as by this system the foundation plate is not exposed to
wear, while it is simple in form and of small size in comparison with the shoe.
4th The advantage of being able to employ a light and flexible foundation-plate
to which the shoe may be fixed, or else a jointed foundation plate, in either of
which cases the hoof retains the natural power of slight expansion and contraction
when strained; the slots or fixtures at the heel are made to admit of this slight
movement of the plate on the shoe.
The invention consists of a shoe constructed of two plates, the outer edges of
which couform to the shape of the outer wall of the hoof, connected together as
hereafter described, the one plate being thin, small and simple in form, secured to
the hoof and constituting a foundation plate for the other, which is connected
detachably to the former, and constitutes the wearing portion of the shoe. The
foundation plate is comparatively light and can if required be made slightly
flexible in the middle by reducing its breadth, or may itself be formed of separate.
parts to allow of a certain amount of expansion and contraction of the hoof
.unchecked by the rigidity of the detachable wearing portion or shoe proper; or it
may be made as rigid as the wearing portion or shoe itself.
The invention includes the provision of means for attaching the wearing part or
shoe proper to the foundation plate, such that any unskilled hand can remove the
wearing part of the shoe and replace and fix another to the plate.
The two plates constituting the double shoe may either be placed in direct
contact or elastic or soft material may be introduced between them or steel
springs laid in recesses formed for their reception in the shoe proper and pressing
upwards against the foundation plate may be employed to destroy a portion of
the concussion on the hoof. Steel studs may protrude from holes in the wearing
part of the shoe (for the purpose of roughing) and have their heads clamped
between the two plates.

page_text: If desired artificial frogs might be fixed in the same manner, the pressure of
which would thus. be thrown on the plate and not on the sole of the hoof. The
wearing part of the shoe may be fixed to the foundation plate in any of the ways
hereinafter described.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this
Specification, which illustrates the preferred mode of attaching the wearing part to
the foundation plate.
Figure 1 shows, at the upper part, a half plan of the foundation plate which is
nailed or screwed to the hoof and at the lower part, a half plan of the wearing
portion or shoe. proper, as seen when the corresponding portion of the foundation
plate is removed.
Figure 2 is an edge view (in section on line 1. 1. figure 1) of the foundation
plate separately. Figure 3 a similar view of the wearing portion or shoe.
Figure 4 represents an edge view of the complete shoe looked at from the toe or
front edge. The mode of attachment illustrated consists of studs projecting from
the upper surface of the wearing part and having flat or coned heads and
received in slots in the foundation plate, the wearing part or shoe being slid into
its proper position preferably from behind forwards as shown, or it may be from
the frout or side as the case may be; and secured by a wedge key, driven into a
key way, made one half in each of the adjacent surfaces of the two plates or
otherwise secured.
A is the upper or foundation plate to be attached to the hoof and B the
lower plate or wearing portion of the shoe. In order to allow for expansion or
contraction of the hoof the plate A may be made of two separate parts whose
adjacent ends are rebated and overlap to form a scarf joint as at a, which enables
the heel ends of the plate to spread or contract to suit the hoof.
'
The plate A conformns in its external configuration to the plate B, but it is made
of considerably less width than said plate B, (except at the points where the slots
occur). so that the inner edges of the two plates do not coincide, the under one
projecting considerably beyond the upper plate. The effect of this is to lighten
the upper plate, render it more elastic and ensure the weight coming wholly on the
wall of the hoof.
The wearing part B is provided with three studs b firmly rivetted or screwed
into holes in said part B and provided with flattened heads standing up from the
upper face of said plate, sufficiently to engage in corresponding slots c, provided
for their reception in the plate A, the plate A being countersunk around the slots,
in order that the heads of the studs may be flush with the upper face of the
plate A. In the example shown, the slots are open towards the rear and the
wearing part is applied by sliding it in the direction of the toe. In order to lock
the wearing part in position, a taper key d is driven into keyways e cut obliquely
across the adjacent faces of A and B, at the toe of the shoe, or at any other suitable
point.
The plate A is provided with the necessary holes for nailing or screwing it to the
hoof, and the heads of the nails & being countersunk in the plate A and covered
by the wearing part B, are effectually protected from wear.
The nail heads may either be flush with the foundation plate, or if they project
therefrom, they as well as any other projections are received in corresponding
recesses in the shoe. Other methods in which the wearing part may be secured
to the foundation plate are as follows: (a) By means of three or more studs
forged on the upper face of the wearing part, and inclined at an angle to the plane
thereof, and received in corresponding holes in the foundation plate, and secured
by means of cross pins (b.). A similar arrangement to the first, the studs being
screwed to the wearing part, so that they can be fixed on after forging (c), By
means of parallel slots in the plate and corresponding projections on the wearing
part; whether the latter be pushed on from the front, from behind, or from
one side, with the means of locking it in the required position (d) By forming
the foundation plate with three or more circular projections on the inside,

page_text: corresponding clips, being secured to the wearing part which would be. twisted
into position and secured by a pin. (e) By means of a stud, at one side, or at
the toe by which the wearing. part can be twisted laterally and jammed in
its place, where it is retained by two or more catches or studs. (f) By. means..of
two or more pins secured to the wearing part, which pins after being. pressed
upwards into the plate are tightly held by an embracing catch above the plate or
by a pin in the same position and of course the two plates may be fixed together
by common screws and otherwise.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1st A horse shoe constructed of two plates similarly shaped on their external
edges, the one or foundation plate being made in one or more parts and thinner
and narrower than the other and fixed to the hoof, and the other or wearing plate
being removably attached to the first plate, substantially as specified.
2nd The method of fixing the shoes to thin flat plates formed in the manner
described by means of catches or studs on the shoes, that lock or slip into holes,
grooves or slots in the plate, for the purposes and in the manner described.
3rd The combination with a shoe constructed of two plates formed and connected
as herein described, of studs or pins, the bases or flat heads of which are clamped
between the plates in the manner described, the points of these studs protruding
through the wearing part or shoe proper for the purpose specified.
:
4th Inserting studs between the shoe and a plate made in the form and for
the purpose described, the heads of which studs rest on intervening springs or
cushions.
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