1822,] 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
4 EW of your readers have been 
indifferent spectators of the suf- 
ferings which horses are made to 
endure from contraction and disease 
in the fore-feet. So universal is this 
evil, that this country can hardly fur- 
nish a single instance of a horse hav- 
ing performed his fair and constant 
portion of road services for three years 
successively, beyond the period of his 
being first shod with the common 
shoes, without his fore-feet having suf- 
fered more or less from this cause. It 
is true that in many instances this 
deviation from natural structure is 
unaccompanied with any apparent 
injury or pain to the animal, for va- 
rious reasons; some fect resist the 
common cause much more than others ; 
intervals of rest and “turning out” 
will retard its progressive operation; 
and it requires not a little pain in 
many of these beautiful and generous 
creatures, to make them evince the 
anguish they endure. Why is this 
mischief, you will say, allowed to con- 
tinue another day? This is a question 
that, were I disposed fully to solve it, 
would occupy much time and space, 
not more than it deserves, and which is 
certainly not at all explained by say- 
ing that this evil is occasioned by the 
abuse of art, at the same time that it 
admits of a perfectly safe and efficient 
relief, lately discovered, and which 
has in its operation the singular two- 
fold advantage of preventing the mis- 
chief altogether, as well as of relieving 
it most essentially when produced; 
thus supplying us at once with a pre- 
ventative and a remedy of great relief, 
(cure being mostly out of the question;) 
I allude to the jointed horse-shoe in- 
vented by Mr. Bracey Clark, who, by 
great industry and expense, had long 
since discovered the cause, and now, 
by the same means, produces the re- 
medy. He is the only person who has 
completely developed that beautiful 
piece of physiological and mechanical 
contrivance—the horse’s foot ; has ex- 
plained its structure and formation on 
philosophical principles, and most 
satisfactorily shown its expansive and 
elastic properties, which are so obvi- 
ously obstructed and counteracted by 
the common shoe, so as fully to ac- 
count for most of the injury which this 
part is so universally suffering. The 
paltry attempts of interested and infe- 
rior minds to undervalue and obscure 
MontTuty Mac. No. 371. 
Mr. Bracey Clark's Improvement in Shoeing Horses. 9 
these most important discoveries of 
this very ingenious, indefatigable, and 
unrequited gentleman, are worthy their 
collegiate labours; but their effects 
are truly surprising, when we consider 
the prevalence of the spirit of enquiry; 
and that your assistance, Mr. Editor, 
should be required to bring into notice 
these great improvements, can only 
be explained by the little interest 
which this subject has hitherto ob- 
tained, from its having been so long 
consigned (how improperly need hard- 
ly be said,) to the hands of one of the 
most unenlightened classes of our fel- 
low-c*tizens, as well as perhaps from 
the little figure which this’ lowest part 
of the animal makes. Had the more 
Striking parts of his frame (more im- 
portant ones could not,) been affected 
by an _artificially-induced mischief, 
—such as might have influenced the 
appearance of his head, tail, or fine- 
ness of his coat,—the vanity of man 
had long since remedied the defects, 
as it now endeavours to disguise its 
sufferings by the cruel operations of 
bit, whip, and spur; rendering him 
thus the trehle victim of ignorance, 
folly, and inhumanity. The barba- 
rous operation lately introduced, of 
removing the sense of feeling of the 
feet by dividing the nerves, while it 
does not relieve the disease, but leaves 
these parts a prey to still farther in- 
jury, and ultimate increase of suffer- 
ing and uselessness, deserves the 
strongest censure of every humane 
and scientific individual ; and the neg- 
lect to which it is fast approaching. 
So the absurd and inefficient con- 
trivances, which have within these 
few years been occasionally offered to 
the public, for their amusement would 
be supposed, under the auspices of a 
patent and a college, and to the dis- 
grace of both, as their mischief and 
disuse declare, for forcing out the 
heels by pressure on the frog, as it is 
absurdly called, are about as scientific 
as though a man should attempt to 
cleave a block of wood with a wedge 
of dough, by forcing its broad edge 
foremost. For this said frog, sir, 
would you believe it? is nearly as soft 
and elastic as Indian rubber, while the 
parts opposed to it are of a hard 
horny texture; and it is very clear, 
that if this passive organ performs 
any office at all, it is that of re- 
straint. 
It has long been the fashion to raise 
a great outcry against bad shoeing, as 
C though 
