48 



CHAPTEK VII. 



EXPANSION ENTIRELY PREVENTED BY PRESENT MODE OF SHOE- 

 ING, BUT FAVOURED BY ' TIPS ' MAYHEW AND PROFESSOR 

 PERCIVAL ON 'TIPS' ' IT IS THE SHOE, NOT THE ROAD, 

 THAT HURTS THE HORSE ' ' IMPECUNIOSUS ' SAYS THERE 

 IS TOO MUCH SAMENESS ABOUT ALL EXISTING WRITINGS ON 

 THE HORSE'S FOOT, AND ' ORIGINAL ' IDEAS ARE WANTED. 



KECENTLY, by means of photography, it has been 

 demonstrated that in every gait beyond the walk 

 the horse is, at every extension, bearing all his 

 weight at a certain time on one leg only, and that 

 he comes down with a shock on that one leg. What, 

 therefore, expansion may amount to in an unshod 

 horse at a gallop, or its tendency in a shod one, we 

 have thus far been unable to discover. This expansion 

 has long been admitted by most authorities, and 

 they have studied how to allow for it. In fact this, 

 and the prevention of slipping, have been the motives 

 for many inventions. Most of them have proved 

 failures in both directions; although some of them, 

 after having been buried like their authors have 

 been unearthed, pirated, and again presented to 

 the public ; but still no progress is made. The 

 full shoe, even in its most perfect form, cannot allow 

 expansion and contraction their natural scope ; but, 



