296 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 5 



end. Mr. Goodwin's modification began, and the 

 panic of lS'25-26 put an end to the use of cast 

 shoes. I was sorry tor Mr. Dudley, and vvislied 

 he had not committed the same error as Mr. Moor- 

 croft and others ; lor I know, from practical expe- 

 rience, that the shoes uiiirht have been in use still. 

 With the Ibrms of the ordinary shoes, the patent is 

 nearly out ; and, if Mr, Dudley does not get a re- 

 newal, by application to parliament, some one else 

 will attempt its introduction again ; as a discovery, 

 probably, — we have so many of them now-a-days. 

 The shoes must be those in ordinary use ; for I 

 think it improbable to reconcile the conflicting 

 opinions thiit exist on this subject in one shoe. 1 

 will attempt to explain this. 



The comuioii shoes have a flat surface next the 

 ground ; that next the hoof more or less concave, 

 except at the heels, where they are flat, varying 

 in substance, and ofiener thicker at the heel than 

 at the toe. The web is broader, according as tiie 

 shoe is larger in size, and fullered in heavy shoes, 

 sometimes counter-sunk nad holes, and nailed to 

 the crust while the hoof is raised from the ground. 

 There is no space between the hoof and the shoe, 

 and, to prevent the percussion which of necessity 

 occurs from the weight of the horse upon the hooi' 

 when the shoe thus applied bears on the ground, 

 the sole is pared, so as to allow of its descent. 

 This acts as a spring, and the percussion is pre- 

 vented in some degree. But percus.=^ion still hap- 

 pens opposite the heeis and quarters, which cannot 

 overcome the resistance opposed to the action of 

 the hoof by the close application of the shoe. 

 Now this is, we suppose, what is meant by "shoe- 

 ing on the most approved principles," i.e. the 

 practice approved by those who tbilow the trade 

 of sho<iiiig horses throughout the country. It wai^ 

 therclbre inferred, that the principles of shoeing 

 were, that the crust only should bear on the shoe. 



Mr. Moorcroft recommended the sole to have a 

 bearing on the shoe also, as it was found the sole 

 could bear on the shoe without injury. This u[)set 

 the inferred principles ; but an endeavor was made 

 to reconcile this inconsistency, by explaining that 

 the reason was, that the sole ai, the toe was not op- 

 posed to sensible parts ; that the principles were 

 the same, notwithstanding the exception ; and 

 practice showing that no bearing could be allowed 

 of the sole on the shoe opposite the quarters and 

 heels rthe corn place, as it is called.) Now it so 

 happens, that the crust at the heels is as much op- 

 posite sensible parts as the sole at those parts, and, 

 for the same reason, should not bear on the shoe — 

 it cuts both ways. The fi'og, too, is opposite sen- 

 sible parts, and yet it was especially recommended 

 for pressure by its bearing on the bar-shoe, where 

 the aforementioned sensible parts, opposite sole 

 and heels, could have no bearing and pressure. 



I was strangely puzzled to understand such logic 

 as was attempted by these inferences fi-ofn prac- 

 tice, and resolv^ed, on the first opportunity, to in- 

 stitute direct inquiry into the matter. What was 

 the result? — that the sole, frog, bars, crust, whether 

 or not opposed to sensible parts, were bearing on 

 the ground without injury being produced in hors- 

 es without shoes, just in proportion to the substance 

 the unrestrained action of the hoof preventing all 

 percussion ; and that the same held good where 

 horses were shod in those countries where great 

 substance of hoof is lelt, and little substance of 

 shoe is required, percussion and injury to sensible 



parts not happening there also. It is quite a mis- 

 taken notion to suppose that Englishmen do not 

 go the pace in any other coun;ry but England; 

 yet, although exposed to all that has been consi- 

 dered as the predisposing causes in greater degree, 

 and the proximate cause in the rate and continu- 

 ance of progression being equally as much, lame- 

 ness does not often happen. In Eiii,diind, in the 

 metropolis, ar|d large towns, where higher prices 

 are paid for shoeing, where the worknjen are most 

 skilful, where horses are what is called neater shod, 

 wliere most substance of hoof is removed, agreea- 

 ble to the supposed principles of shoeing, there are 

 more lame horses than in the country, where the 

 workmanship is rouglier. I would rather have 

 our horse shod in the ordinary way by tne latter 

 than (he fbnner, to go over the stones of the me- 

 tropolis, where percussion is most likely to happen. 

 " The expansiqn principle" is a sn-ange njisno- 

 n)er: it seems to imply that the hoof expanded ; 

 that hard and soft parl^ within it expanded also, 

 which the anatomy and physiolo«-y of the fool de- 

 ny. The superincumbent weight of the animal, 

 not supported by the sjjrings within the hoof, mu.>t 

 ultimately fiill peq^endicukirly on the last sjiring, 

 that formed by the bases of the hoof on the sole, 

 bars, crust, and frog. We did not copy this puff- 

 ing announcement from any particular forge; but 

 in every part of the countr) , and the metropolis 

 too, we have this "shoeing on improved,'" and on 

 '^'iiew,^^ and "the newest," and "the most approv- 

 ed," and "patent," and '•Professor Coleman's," 

 and "college," and "veterinarian," and "expan- 

 sion principles:" and, added to this, and in freriect 

 keeping, "Veterinary surgeon, smiths' work iu 

 general, and bell-hanging in all its branches;"' 

 while Mr. Coleman's patent, and other shoes gilt, 

 occupy the upper corners of the board, mid a fry- 

 ing-pan and a gridiron ornament the lo\yer ones, 

 and a goodly row of pots, pans, and kettles, fill the 

 window. Out upon it! Are we conre to this? 

 The man who has a sign board just over Bow 

 Bridge, "all kinds of beasts gcW," is more a veteri- 

 nary surgeon, and to him we recommend the pub- 

 lic. 



"Prmcf/jZes most approved,'''' and ';'■ KxpanslmyP 

 appear to be distinct: there is a division as to the 

 mode of receiving the weiglit from' the last spring 

 to the shoe, and ultimately conveying it from the 

 shoe to the ground: the prevailing party believing 

 that the structure and physiology of the loot and 

 hoof consist of springs; that there is a depression 

 of the sole, bars, crust, and frog, when the hoof is 

 on the ground, and a recession of these parts when 

 the foot is in the air; the substance of the sole is 

 sacrificed to ellect this depression of the sole, but 

 no space is left between the heels and shoe to ad- 

 mil of the depression of" the crust at the heels, 

 which are opposite to sensible parts, as much as 

 any portion of the sole. Both in light and heavy 

 horses the consequence is percussion and altera- 

 tion of form, often incurable lameness. 



The inferred princijile has been carried on more 

 by the college and its students than by others, the 

 modifications of Mr. Coleman having all this ten- 

 dency, extrinsic to the fbrm of the shoe. We 

 were instructed to pare the soles of light horses, in 

 some cases, as thin as paper, till they were pliable 

 under the thumb, and to be parlicular in making 

 the sole concave opposite the seal of corn; the ef- 

 fect of which was, to give this dejiression of llie 



