COLONEL BURDETT ON THE HORSE'S FOOT. 103 



of a work on ' Scientific Horse- shoeing,' professing 

 forty years' experience; and an American farmer 

 who had felt obliged to shoe his own horses ' for his 

 own protection ' three differently interested classes 

 of men who were, as such, purposely quoted. 



A prize essay does not necessarily carry every- 

 thing before it merely because it is a prize essay. 

 Such essays are sometimes written with a view only 

 of obtaining a prize ; and ' coaches ' tell us that, in 

 order to do so, they must coincide with the views of 

 the examiners. It is not pretended, however, 

 that the essay in question was engineered on this 

 principle : it is much more likely that it was a 

 thoroughly conscientious production; but doctors 

 differ. 



An independent, practical essay on the horse, 

 written by Lieutenant-Colonel Burdett, is appearing, 

 since January last, in the ' Eichmond and Twicken- 

 ham Times.' Here are some extracts from the 

 gallant colonel's writings : ' One of the first con- 

 siderations of an owner or driver of a horse should 

 be the feet and legs of his horse ; for, should any- 

 thing be the matter with either, the animal should 

 not be put to any description of work ; for, if he 

 is, he is sure to suffer, and in many cases most 

 acutely.' . . . ' The foot of the horse is a most 

 complex and elaborate piece of machinery, and 

 perfectly adapted to the work it is intended to 

 perform ; but our artificial assistance, so far from 

 preserving, often cripples, and frequently totally 

 ruins it.' ' The natural sole of a horse's 



