fig1 and 2 illustrate the form of the horseshoe blank 10 prior to being bent into the conventional c shape shown in fig7 and 8 . typically , horseshoe blanks are forged while in a linear configuration on die sets such as described in u . s . pat . no . 2 , 679 , 906 , and it is appreciated that the particular method for forming a horseshoe in accord with the invention should not be construed to limit the inventive concepts . a horseshoe utilizing the inventive concepts may be made by casting techniques as well as forging , swaging , or by other conventional metalworking processes . the blank 10 is of an elongated linear configuration usually formed of steel , or an aluminum alloy , having excellent wear characteristics . the blank 10 comprises the body 12 which includes a hoof engaging face 14 which is of a generally planar configuration , and remains planar after forming the blank into the finished c shaped configuration . the ground engaging face 16 of the body 12 is oppositely disposed to the face 14 , and the body 12 also includes an outer side 18 which becomes the convex front side of the finished horseshoe , and an inner side 20 which becomes the inner or rear side of the finished shoe . the ends 22 of the body 12 are preferably radiused as illustrated . a front central portion of the blank 10 is defined at 24 , and a rear central portion is formed at 26 . a line substantially bisecting the portions 24 and 26 defines the horseshoe longitudinal axis 28 represented in fig7 . the primary frictional engagement between the horseshoe and the earth is due to the presence of four ribs 30 , 32 , 34 and 36 , fig3 . these ribs extend the length of the body 12 , fig1 and are spaced across the width of the ground engaging face 16 between sides 18 and 20 . the rib 30 is of the greatest vertical or height dimension and constitutes a &# 34 ; grab &# 34 ; defined at the periphery of the shaped horseshoe . the apices of the ribs 30 , 32 , 34 and 36 are indicated by numerals 38 , 40 , 42 and 44 , respectively , and as will be appreciated from the drawings the rib apices are sharp for ease of ground and earth penetration . with particular reference to fig3 - 6 , the grab rib 30 is defined by the body outer side 18 which intersects the surface 46 at the apex 38 . rib 32 is formed by intersecting converging surfaces 48 and 50 , while rib 34 is defined by converging surfaces 52 and 54 and rib 36 is formed by converging and intersecting surfaces 56 and 58 . the surfaces 46 and 48 , and 54 and 56 , intersect to define a valley , and the included angle defined by these intersecting surfaces is , preferably , greater than 50 ° to facilitate self - cleaning of dirt entering these valleys . a flat dividing surface 60 is centrally formed between the body sides 18 and 20 , and is of a planar configuration parallel to the hoof engaging face 14 . the dividing surface 60 separates the ribs 32 and 34 , is not prone to trap dirt between these spaced ribs , and a plurality of nail holes 61 extend through the dividing surface 60 for receiving the nails for attaching the horseshoe to the horse &# 39 ; s hoof in the known manner . in order to reduce the weight of the blank 10 the spacing between the faces 14 and 16 is relatively small , and this reduction in mass of the body 12 weakens the strength of the horseshoe body 12 with respect to lateral forces . as the horseshoe body 12 is primarily subjected to the compressive forces resulting from the weight of the horse and rider such compressive forces perpendicular to the plane of the hoof engaging face 14 are not inclined to deform the shoe . however , lateral forces imposed upon the shoe during rapid and tight turns by the horse during barrel racing , for instance , impose such forces as to &# 34 ; open &# 34 ; the c shaped configuration of the horseshoe nailed upon the hoof . to resist such lateral deformation the horseshoe of the invention includes homogeneous reinforcing bars 62 and 64 defined upon the ground engaging face 16 . as will be apparent from fig7 the reinforcing bars 62 and 64 are located upon opposite sides of the longitudinal axis 28 , and define the termination of the front central portion 24 and the rear central portion 26 . the bars 62 and 64 are obliquely related to each other when the horseshoe is in the form of the blank 10 , fig1 in order that the reinforcing bars will be properly related to each other in the finished horseshoe c shaped configuration of fig7 . each reinforcing bar includes a front end 66 which intersects the body outer or front side 18 , and each reinforcing bar includes a rear end 68 which intersects the blank rear or inner side 20 . the free or lowermost surface 70 of the reinforcing bars is parallel to the face 14 and the surfaces 70 define the vertical dimension or height of the reinforcing bars . as will be appreciated from fig2 and 6 , the height of the reinforcing bars 62 and 64 is less than the height of the outer sides 18 as defined by the face 18 and the apex 38 . the lateral sides of the reinforcing bars are represented at 71 . the oblique angles of the reinforcing bars 62 and 64 as defined upon the blank 10 , fig1 are such that when the blank 10 is formed into the c configuration of fig7 the bars 62 and 64 are almost parallel to each other and the longitudinal axis 28 . this locating of the mass of the bars 62 and 64 upon opposite sides of the axis 28 , and at the region of the horseshoe wherein lateral bending and deformation are most likely to occur , reinforces the formed horseshoe at the most critical locations to prevent the &# 34 ; spreading &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; opening &# 34 ; of the horseshoe and prevents damage from being inflicted upon the horse , s hoof without adding significant mass and weight to the horseshoe . as the dirt and soil will be forced against the reinforcing bar lateral sides 71 during turning there is a tendency for the dirt to pack against the reinforcing bars . however , it has been discovered that by slotting the front outer side 18 as will be appreciated from fig2 and 8 , wherein a major slot 72 is formed on the outside of the associated reinforcing bar , and a minor slot 74 is located inside of the reinforcing bar that the presence of these slots permits the soil trapped against the reinforcing bars to fall free and render the horseshoe configuration self - cleaning adjacent the bars . the slot surfaces 76 have a height from the hoof engaging face 14 less than the height of the reinforcing bars 62 and 64 as defined by the surfaces 70 , and the slots 72 are outwardly defined by the slot ends 78 while the inner slots 74 are inwardly defined by the terminating slot ends 80 . by way of example , the relationships of the various components described above , dimensionally , may be appreciated . for instance , when forging the blank 10 to form a size 2 horseshoe the overall length of the blank 10 will be approximately 13 inches , while the width of the body 12 is approximately 3 / 4 of an inch . the height dimension of the grab rib 30 as defined between the apex 38 and the face 14 is 3 / 8 of an inch , and this is the maximum height dimension of the shoe . the apices 40 , 42 and 44 lie within a common plane which is 1 / 4 of an inch from the face 14 , and the surface 70 of the reinforcing bars 62 and 64 is 5 / 16 of an inch from the face 14 . the dividing surface 60 is located 1 / 8 of an inch from the face 14 as is the intersection of the surfaces 46 and 48 , and 54 and 56 . accordingly , it will be appreciated from the above dimensions that the vertical height of the grab rib 38 is 50 % greater than the vertical height of the ribs 32 , 34 and 36 . as will be appreciated from fig3 and 6 , the surface 58 which forms the apex 44 of rib 36 also intersects the body inner side 20 , and the dimensions of the body 12 are such that the surface 58 provides additional mass &# 34 ; behind &# 34 ; the rib 36 to support the rib and strengthen the same against deformation . forming the blank 10 from its elongated configuration to the c shaped configuration of fig7 is readily accomplished within bending dies , and it will be understood that various sizes of horseshoes will use longer or shorter blanks depending on the desired final configuration . by making the shoe 3 / 4 of an inch wide between sides 18 and 20 the shoe tends to float on soft sandy surfaces , and by using sharp apices on the ribs excellent traction is provided on harder ground . as the reinforcing bars 62 and 64 divide the ground engaging face 16 into three portions , and as the presence of the slots 72 and 74 discourages accumulation of soil adjacent the reinforcing bars , the self - cleaning aspects of the horseshoe assure reduced weight at the horse &# 39 ; s hoof , and by maintaining at least a 50 ° included angle between the ribs the tendency for soil to accumulate between the ribs is reduced . of course , the spacing provided by the dividing surface 60 is also helpful in this respect . as described above , locating the reinforcing bars 62 and 64 at those locations most likely to deform the horseshoe under lateral forces permits the horseshoe to be strengthened at the most efficient locations without adding significant weight to the shoe . it is appreciated that various modifications to the inventive concepts may be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .
a lightweight horseshoe particularly suitable for competitive events requiring high maneuverability , the horseshoe including a body having a plurality of sharp ribs extending from the shoe ground engaging face . four ribs are employed across the shoe body width , the front rib constituting a deeper penetrating grab . the ribs are configured to be self - cleaning , and the shoe includes homogeneous reinforcing bars to resist outward shoe deformation under lateral stress . the reinforcing bars intersect the shoe outer and inner sides , and clearance slots formed in the shoe outer side adjacent the reinforcing bars facilitates the self - cleaning of the shoe adjacent the bars .