OF FARRIERY. 



43 



usurped the veierinary surgeon's office ; the 

 Horse was lame, with inflammation of the 

 near foot before ; and this scientific blacksmith 

 had been rubbing hot oils of some kind or 

 other in the Horse's shoulder; but on my 

 pointing out the seat of lameness, the owner 

 preferred the smitli to carry into execution my 

 prescription in preference to me. 1 merely 

 mention these cases, to shew why a veterinary 

 gurgeon should keep a smith's shop, not, as 1 

 before said, for real profit in itself, but what it 

 may lead to. But going back to the Horse, 

 leaving the smith's shop alone. 



When such an occurrence of extreme lame- 

 ness, and, of course, consequent uneasiness, 

 happen immediately after shoeing, the shoes 

 should be immediately taken off, to ascertain 

 how the shoe was fitted on, though it fre- 

 quently occurs, that drawing out the two back 

 nails of the inner quarter will instantly give 

 relief; and though the farrier may insist that 

 nothing was amiss (for we are none of us 

 willing to acknowledo-e an error that cannot 

 be brought home to us), yet, he may be 

 careful to remedy the cause, whatever it may 

 be, whether it may be from the shoe being 

 too tight, or a nail struck so far in as to occasion 

 unequal bearing. Not that you are to expect 

 Horses with bad feet will go as pleasant in 

 new shoes as old ones : those Horses with 

 thin flat feet, cannot be supposed to go so well 

 as a Horse with a strong foot, consequently, a 

 different shoe is required. A shoe to suit 

 soft thin feet ought to be well chambered out, 

 as it is called, with a broad web, and only 

 bearing on the edge of the crust : but Horses 

 havinjr such feet, I should recommend the bar 

 shoe, for the old system of paring and cutting 

 out the bars, by which means the foot will 

 liecome contracted ; and until the shoe is in 



some measure settled to the foot, the Horse 

 will go tender and unpleasant. 



The substance and weight should be pro- 

 portioned to the work or employ of the Horse : 

 never load the foot ^^ith more iron than is 

 necessary to preserve it. If the Horse's foot 

 is light, let his shoe be light also ; and if he 

 work principally on the road, his shoes should 

 be somewhat stouter. 



Shoeing Horses, like most other things, from 

 the modern improvements made in the art, 

 and those in accordance with the true anatomy 

 of the foot, I should much rather leave the 

 shoeing in the hands of some respectable vete- 

 rinary surgeon, than consult books on the 

 subject ; therefore, in consequence, we have 

 refrained giving plates of shoes, which none 

 but experienced men can determine the appli- 

 cation and utility of. 



ON TURNING OUT TO GRASS, OR 

 STRAW YARD. 



When Horses have been hard worked, 

 turning out becomes a natural consequence, to 

 refresh their limbs : tliey are occasionally 

 turned out when not wanted for present use. 

 The hunter, when the season is over, is turned 

 into good grass, to cool the system, and to 

 prevent too great an incumberance on the 

 master's pocket ; also, to refresh his limbs, 

 which, if he has been regularly hunted the 

 season through, must stand in need of it; but 

 if only occasionally, and he was wanted after foi 

 the road, there is no necessity for it. I have 

 known Horses to be kept in a stable a doze'^ 

 years without eating any gieen food, yet have 

 continued in health and condition : there are 

 some constitutions that will not thrive and 

 look well in the stable for any continuance, 

 but get tucked up, suffering from indigestiou 



