OVERGROWN HOOFS. 193 



living examples of horses which are always lame 

 when shod, and always go sound as soon as the shoes 

 are removed. 



In a letter dated January 14, 1882, Mr. A. F. 

 Astley sent me a piece of information which is worth 

 recording : 



' A 'bus driver with whom I went yesterday 

 made some striking statements incident to the shoe 

 question. 



' He was still a young man, and had been in a 

 cavalry regiment, where he had the charge of a very 

 vicious mare. Shoes seemed to be her aversion, and 

 she would kick and kick until she got them off or 

 loosened them. She once did this on the march, but 

 though with her feet unprepared for road work, she 

 completed her march without shoes.' 



Mr. Astley also sent me a few lines which 

 effectually dispose of the theory that the horse was 

 intended to live on soft ground : - 



' Yesterday I was taught much ! A roan, never 

 shod, three years old, having been advertised in the 

 " Bazaar," I went down to see him. 



' There could not be a more striking proof that 

 hard ground is wanted to keep the hoof in form. This 

 colt had been kept in a grass field a dry one and 

 his hoofs had grown very long and out of all form. 

 In this weakened state he had got out of the field 



o 



