49 



instead of fatness we have force. Some 

 persons take great pride in having their 

 horses look fat, and smooth, and plump ; 

 and this is all very well for those who like 

 it and are satisfied with a three- or four- 

 mile-an-hour gait, but it will not do for 

 rapid traveling. It will answer for a mill 

 horse or a brewer's team, but not for a 

 roadster, or a trotter, or a hunter. 



I think I have now shown sufficiently 

 how civilization, or at least our civiliza- 

 tion, causes the infirm condition of our 

 horses, and how it necessitates the use of 

 shoes, because horses kept as our horses 

 are commonly kept cannot be driven with- 

 out shoes. The hoof will not get used to 

 it, and every trial of this kind will result 

 in failure. 



