AN IMPROVEMENT IN SHOES FOR, HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Roberge, of the City and State of
New York, United States of America, for the Invention of "AN
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Roberge at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 19th May 1869.
I, DAVID ROBERGE, of the City and State of New York, United
States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN SHOES FOR, HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS," to be as
follows:-
Many of the diseases to which horses are subject, such as lameness,
ring bone founder, calked joints, or analagous difficulties, arise from
strains resulting from the limbs remaining in an improper position. The
hoof of the horse as it grows will generally become too long twards
the front, and the hoof standing upon a flat surface throws an undue
strain on some of the joints, muscles, or tendons. I obviate these

page_text: difficulties by the shoe which I employ, the same being formed so as
to take a bearing centrally below the foot in order that the hoof may
assume the most natural position, and throw the weight of the animal
in the proper proportion on the respective parts. I mako the said shoe with
a cross bar and a central calk to give this central bearing, or else I make
the shoe thickest towards the back and the inner edges and round off
the outer edges, of the shoe both towards the front and sides, and this
may be still further extended by a plate of metal of a dome form
applied to the under side of the shoc. Calks at the rear parts of the
shoe will generally be required. The shoes made in this manner take
a bearing near the centre and allow the under side of the hoof to remain
at whatever inclination to the surface is the most comfortable to the
animal. The calks are also placed so as to aid in this object, the longest
boing at the back.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said David Roberge in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st November 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DAVID
ROBERGE, of the City and State of New York, United States of America,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said David Roberge, Her special licenco
that I, the said David Roberge, my exccutors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said David Roberge, 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 therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVE-
MENT IN SHOES FOR HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said David Roberge, my executors or adminis-

page_text: trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said David Roberge, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being made to the Drawing hereunto
annexed and to the letters and figures marked thercon (that is to
say):
==
Fig. 1 is a section longitudinally of my improved shoe adapted to soft
ground or light work; Fig. 2 is an inverted plan of the same; Fig. 3 is
a cross section at the line x, x; Fig. 4 is an inverted plan of my contral
calk shoe to be employed as a preliminary or test shoc, and Fig. 5 is a
section of the same at the line, ; Fig. 6 is an inverted plan of the
shoe similar to that in Fig. 1, but without the convex central plate, and
Fig. 7 is a section of the same at the line y, y, and Fig. 8 at the
linc 10, 10.
From very extensive experience I have discovered that in most
instances the lameness of horses or the defects of their limbs arises
from the hoof not taking a proper bearing upon the surface on which
the horse stands. It is well known that the horse stands upon a level
or nearly level surface the majority of the time, hence if the shoes are
of the ordinary character with three bearing points in each shoe the
hoofs will stand in a given position regardless of whether that is the
natural position of the feet to the rest of the limbs or not, hence in cases
where the shoe is not properly made the weight of the horse may and
frequently docs come upon the knuckle of a joint or upon a cord or
tendon or muscle unduly or principally, either injuring that immediate
part or producing some incidental injury. In this manner the horse is
often sprained in the ankle, the knees, shoulders, or haunches, and the
defects or diseases known as "founder," "calked joint," "ring bone"
and analagous difficulties have their origin. My Invention is to prevent
these diseases, remove them, or ameliorate the defects of long standing
cases. To effect these objects I first make use of the test shoe shown in
Figs. 4 and 5, the same being made with the hind calks a,, cenier

page_text: calk c, and is a short toc calk set towards the back or inner edge of the
shoc y. The calk c is made of about the same length as the other
calks a, a, and is placed as nearly as possible below the ball or center of
the ankle joint of the hoof, so that the weight of the animal is taken
directly thereon, and the hoof is free to assume a position that is the
most comfortable for the other parts of the limbs. I prefer to apply
this shoe in the first instance, and in it an injured horse can walk
with comparative case and frequently go to his labor immediately.
By wearing this shoe for a few days it can be ascertained in what
position the under side of the hoof should stand to the level surface,
because this calk c becomes a pivot, and the foot when at rest has no
leverage against it to distort any of the joints, muscles, or tendons and a
measurement can be taken and a shoe made therefrom, so that the hoof
will bear on the surface in the most comfortable position. This may
necessitate the use of one calk only at the rear, but under almost all
circumstances it is necessary to make the shoe thin at the front edge j
and thicker at the rear portions i, i, as seen in Figs. 1, 5, and 7, or to
apply calks a, a, as in Figs. 1 & 2, to raise up the rear portion of the hoof.
In this last-named case the metal plate A, Figs. 1, 2, & 3, is em-
ployed, the same being formed with or attached to the shoe and made
convex on its under side and beveled towards the front and side parts. The
rear portion p may be removed near the frog, the convexity being almost
as great as the depth of the calks, or the plate may be made as a section
of a globe. This shoe, having a convex under surface, allows the hoof to
assume any desired angle to the surface on which the animal is standing,
hence there is but little strain on any one part, the weight and strain
being equally proportioned upon the parts of the legs. Figs. 6, 7, & 8
show this shoc without the plate A, the under side being beveled or
rounded, as seen by the sections, Figs. 7 and S.
It will be evident that these shoes give a central bearing for the loof,
allowing it to assume the most natural position, and in use the hoof rolls
upon the shoe in both a forward and partially sidewise direction, so that
the joints cannot be wrenched or strained. It will also be evident that
if the calk c is placed further forward than the position shown it must
be made shorter, and that the shoe must be thinned sufficiently towards
both the front and side edges to give the bearing as far in beneath the
foot as advantageous for the aforesaid action shown. The calk c may be
made on the lower one of two cross pieces that are clamped together by

page_text: screws, the upper of the cross pieces setting under the inner edge of the
shoe so that this central calk may be movable and can be applied when-
ever desired. The upper surface of the shoc may also be curved
upwards towards the toc to facilitate the forward rolling motion of the
shoc as the horse steps.
What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patcut is, a horseshoe in
which the weight of the animal is taken upon a central support in the
manner specified, so as to allow the hoof to conform to the position
required by the other parts of the leg, as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Roberge, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Seventh day of October, A.D. One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witnesses,
CHAS. II. SMITII,
121, Nassau St.,
New York.
GEO. T. PINCKNEY,
121, Nassau St.,
New York.
DAVID ROBERGE. (L.S.)