792 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



To illustrate: this corpse that I speak of, that I drive fast down hill occasionally, 

 belonged to a friend of mine, and was in the knacker s yard to be killed. She was to be 

 killed because the doctor who had her in charge wanted her legs as specimens of inflamma 

 tory rheumatism. I asked my friend, as a favor, if he would let me take her, because I did 

 not think she had inflammatory rheumatism, and I would like to try and cure her; and, if I 

 did not succeed, the legs should go to the veterinary, who wanted them as specimens. I had 

 to bring her sixteen miles; and it took me eight hours, with a man leading her, and a boy 

 behind switching her; and, as they express it in the country, every leg was in front of her. 

 She had a little shrivelled frog. I cut her hoofs very low indeed, until I got a little bit of 

 frog-bearing; but it hurt her to put her foot to the ground. The frog had no life in it, no 

 circulation. About two months after I took her, I thought I would try her, and see if it was 

 inflammatory rheumatism. She took her eighteen miles in an hour and a half, although she 

 was a little lame. I was satisfied she would come out perfectly sound. To-day I am driving 

 that mare. She has never had her frog off of the ground since I had her, winter or summer. 

 Her heel is steadily growing wider, and her frog is growing every day. I have driven her, 

 within the last fortnight, from Boston to my farm, some twenty-three miles. I can do that 

 with this little mare in an hour and forty minutes, and repeat it the same day in an hour and 

 forty-five minutes, and she will not go lame a single step. She will go in the middle of the 

 road, and step on stones without flinching.&quot; 



The instances already given are sufficient to prove the evil effects of faulty shoeing, and 

 the best method of remedying them. 



The Best Method of Shoeing. That shoeing is undoubtedly best which consists in 

 taking away as small a portion of the natural support of the foot as possible, without cutting 

 the frog bars, or sole, and at the same time giving increased strength and protection, leaving 

 the foot free to maintain those points of support that in a state of nature it always has; in 

 fact, the nearer we follow the natural form and tread of the foot, the better. 



Shoes should never be worn longer than four or five weeks without being removed, as 

 contraction of the hoof and corns will be liable to be the result, if resetting is neglected longer 

 than this period. 



Barefooted Horses. Although the shoeing of horses has long been common in 

 most of the civilized portions of the world, still there are many parts where horses are per 

 mitted to go year after year without shoes, even on rough roads, and under such conditions are 

 said to remain sound, being less troubled with lameness and diseases of the feet and limbs 

 than where shoeing is practiced. 



The attention of some of the leading writers on horse management has for a few years 

 past been directed towards the benefits to be derived from dispensing with shoes altogether, 

 and permitting horses to go unshod. They claim that more evil than good results from 

 shoeing; that it is entirely unnecessary, and that if horses could be allowed to go unshod, 

 great benefit would be derived. The opponents of the practice claim that horses used on 

 hard pavements, or in constant service on common country roads, will soon become tender- 

 footed and lame from the wearing away of the hoof, and also that such horses would be lia 

 ble to serious injury from slipping in freezing weather. 



It is a well-known fact that there are hundreds of horses used unshod with success in 

 London over the pavements of stone, wood, and asphalt. This method, if practicable, would 

 certainly save the farmer considerable expense for shoeing during the year. There is no 

 doubt that much of the lameness of horses results from improper shoeing, and that when 

 lame from this cause, one of the best remedies in such cases is to remove the shoes, and per 

 mit the animal to run in the pasture awhile, or, if in winter, he should be allowed the exer 

 cise that a large box-stall affords; also the yard, when the weather will admit. Horses that 



