1880] THE CHARLIEE SHOE. 39 



ill view of tlie field, and almost in view of the pack. A very i;-oo(l forty 

 minutes. The bitches hunted very well indeed. Rode Be Quick and Bona. 

 January 9th, Brouglitou Castle. — Found at Claydon Hill, ran towards 

 Slienington. hut turned to the right over the Banbury and Stratford road. 

 Ix'tweeu the New Inn and Wroxton Village, as if for Claydon Hill again. 

 Tlie fox was headed liy foot people, and entered one of tlie AVroxton coverts, 

 where the hounds marked him to ground in a large rabbit hole, after a verj 

 ])retty ring of forty minutes. Found at Chamberlain's, and ran at a great 

 pace along the grass meadows by the brook side to Angel's Piece, turned to 

 the left, and crossed the brook as if for Page's Gorse, but the fox was headed 

 by a boy, and recrossed the brook and through Angel's Piece again, and back 

 his old line as if for Cliamljerlain's again; turned to the right, and once 

 more crossed the brook, and went to ground near Hanwell Village in 

 a drain. Bolted him, and ran about a mile and a half, to ground in a 

 rabbit hole. Bolted and killed him. A very good fifty minutes up to the 

 first drain. I noticed Wonderful make a good hit. Rode Blackwater and 

 Banshee. 



At this time the " Charlier " shoe was a good deal 

 experimented on for the shoeing of hunters. It has its 

 advantages, provided a horse could always he ridden on 

 soft ground, as it is very light, and with it there can he no 

 suction of clay on the foot ; the pressure is taken off the 

 frog, and the foot, hy its use, is enabled to become open, 

 and to grow into the best possible shape. I hunted several 

 horses thus shod for a time, but I found that I lamed them 

 when jumping into a road, or when the ground became 

 hard. I therefore gave up the use of it, except for one 

 horse, which had narrow feet. These would have become 

 contracted when shod with the ordinary shoe, and I rode 

 him for three seasons in the " Charlier," laming him occa- 

 sionally. After that time the shoe so improved his feet by 

 allowing them to expand, that I rode him afterwards for 

 five seasons more in ordinary shoes. I found the " Charlier " 

 most useful for shoeing hunters in the summer, and I have 

 used it regularly, at that time finding it a great advantage, 

 as it much improves their feet, l^ut it is necessary that they 

 should have such exercise as they require always on grass. 



At one time I used, like many others, to summer my 

 hunters in yards, but in this way they lose their condition, 

 and I found that they were exposed to the possibility of 

 injury to the eyes from flies during a hot summer, one 

 horse havino- become blind in this wav. Since that time I 



