46 ON SHOEING, 



produced instantaneously, conviction would im- 

 mediately follow, and even the most uninform- 

 ed would detect the erroneous system. The 

 practice of shoeing, therefore, should be adapt- 

 ed solely as a defence to a part which is already 

 perfect, and which stands in need of no altera- 

 tion whatever from its original form. 



The greatest merit which a blacksmith ge- 

 nerally assumes, is built upon his dexterity in 

 shoeing a bad foot, where much caution and 

 precision is required in driving the nails so as to 

 keep the shoe fast without injuring the animal. 

 But if he would bestow even one half of this 

 cleverness in attentively considering the primi- 

 tive shape of the foot and its component parts, 

 his abilities and his time would be employed to 

 a much better purpose. It would be fruitless, 

 however, to expect reformation from men who 

 are so firmly bigotted to their old maxims, that 

 neither precept nor example can make the 

 smallest impression upon them. 



The 



