SHOEING. 149 



fair fex of many neighbouring kingdoms 

 convince us they can walk equally upright 

 without. 



In farther confirmation of the behef he 

 wifhes to eftabhihj he fays, ** we may every 

 day fee horfes, mares, and cohs running 

 about upon all forts of ground unlhod, and 

 uninjured in their feet/' This is certainly 

 a truth too univerfally known even to be 

 queflioned ; but by no means to be fo far 

 ftrained in its conftrucSion as to be rendered 

 applicable, in a comparative view, to the 

 ftate of working horfes upon hard or ilony 

 roads, where the conftant fricSion in riding, 

 or the fulcruT}! in drawing, muft inevitably 

 prove injurious, if not totally deftruftive to 

 the foot in general ; producing fand-cracksy 

 tbrujldy bruifes of the frog^formatioris of mat ^ 

 ter^ and other infirmities, as is very fre- 

 quently the cafe, (when a fhoe has been for 

 fome time call unobferved by the rider ;) 

 conftituting a blemifh or defed in the fub- 

 jedl never to be retrieved. Mares and colts 

 or horfes turned out to grafs without fhoes, 

 are generally kept upon low, moift, or marlhy 



L 3 ground. 



