Farrier's tool and method for using
OwnerPete Healeyinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A farrier's tool and a method of using the tool for preparing the hoof of a horse to receive a shoe. The tool is, in one aspect, a goniometer used for determining the angle of heel-toe taper when preparing a horse's hoof to receive a shoe. After the angle between the anterior surface of the first phalanx of the foot and the anterior surface of the hoof is determined, the ground-facing surface of the hoof is beveled by means of a trimming tool at an angle determined by the goniometer to reduce uneven pressure on the underlying coffin bone and to balance the tension on the tendons and ligaments in the horse's foot, particularly during locomotion. The method provides, inter alia, means for accurately aligning the hoof capsule with the coffin bone in the hoof.
Claims4
A tool operable for enabling a farrier to determine the correct angle to bevel the bottom ground-facing surface of a hoof of a horse such that unbalanced stress on tissues within the horse's foot is minimized when the foot is bearing the horse's weight, said tool comprising a goniometer having two elongate opposing arms pivotally connected to one another at adjacent ends thereof by pivotal connecting means, each of said opposing arms having a straight edge, at least one of said opposing arms having angular measuring means thereon operable for determining an angle between said straight edges of said opposing arms.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.