APPENDICES. 221 



for Flemings' improved drawing-knife, with guide, the 

 only special tool required, and as soon as it arrived I 

 began shoeing my horses on the Charlier principle by 

 letting a narrow piece of iron into the outside crust and 

 allowing the frog, sole, bars, and heels to come well to 

 the ground. 



I began very cautiously (although my horses' feet had 

 never been cut away, by way of trimming) for fear of a 

 failure, and a laugh from my farrier and others. I 

 ventured on a shorter shoe than the Charlier. My first 

 measured, before turning, ten inches. It had six nail 

 holes. This was for a horse 15^ hands. I put them on 

 one of my old ' screws,' and I am pleased to say that he 

 ran his eighteen miles splendidly and without any signs 

 of lameness. I allowed him to run, with his usual rest, 

 until he had gone a distance of 228 miles, as a trial. 

 This was done without wearing the frog through to the 

 quick, as my farrier was so much afraid of. The hoof 

 was now in splendid condition. I then gave orders for 

 all my horses to be shod on this principle, beginning 

 with my best to prevent further unnecessary injury. 



With each successive horse I have shortened the iron. 

 Now I begin shoeing with four inches of iron let well into 

 tlie toe. I have not had one case of lameness from tender 

 feet, and every horse so shod has been able to do his 

 ordinary work without any extra rest. I find that the 

 shorter the iron the better it answers. I buy the ^-inch 

 round iron and flatten it to | by \ inch ; cut off four 

 inches, which weighs four ounces, let it well into the toe, 

 and nail on with No. 6 counter-sunk nails. This I find 

 wears quite as long, after the first shoeing, as the ordi- 

 nary shoe did. My drivers are continually having their 

 attention called, by * good meaning persons,' to the fact 

 that ' the 'oss 'as lost 'is shoe.' They have got so used to 



