564 AET OF SHOEING. 



parts of a system ; both the shoe and nails are bad together ; 

 the form of the latter, taken by themselves, is bad as com- 

 pared with the French and the old British form of nail. 



In reference to the modes or systems of shoeing, which 

 were adopted of old in our own and neighbouring countries, 

 we. will take a passing notice of that particular system, 

 which, with slight deviations, is in use over the greater 

 extent of the old world, and which is generally called Turkish 

 shoeing. That Oriental method is, to say the least, very old, 

 as is evidenced by the simple fact that we have no account 

 of its origin, though, from an unknown period, and still it 

 is applied over many hundred miles from the north-west of 

 Africa to Egypt and Asia; hence we learn of a common 

 practice of shoeing amongst distant empires, kingdoms, and 

 principalities, and have no doubt, from the similarity of 

 method, the history of which we know so little, that it 

 is much older than any of the European systems in vogue 

 which took rise in southern Europe, modified after these 

 Oriental originals. 



According to the testimony of travellers, the horses of the 

 desert, and over a great extent of Asia and Africa, go with 

 freedom and ease with the mode of shoeing which the natives 

 adopt, the good result being due, no doubt, to several influ- 

 ential causes, and not to one only. 



No European nation has, as far as we know, ever adopted 

 the Oriental method of shoeing, though their armies have 

 occupied large portions of the eastern nations; that fact 

 alone, however, does not signify much, since we have positive 

 knowledge that, as regards the art of horse-shoeing at least, 

 an army may be stationed in a foreign land for years, and 

 adopt nothing of the practice in use amongst the natives, 

 however well adapted to their purpose or the locality. No 

 better proof can be given than that afforded by reference to 



