60 PRACTICAL HORSESHOEING. 



attendant on the present method of constructing and shap- 

 ing the horse's shoe; others, such as making it of bad 

 material, altogether unlike the outline of the hoof, etc., 

 we will glance at presently. We have only now to con- 

 sider what has been for very many years the aim of those 

 who, overlooking the real injury done to the foot by the 

 barbarous fashion of paring and rasping, imagined the 

 chief, if not the sole, cause of lameness and inefficiency 

 arose from the faulty character of the protection applied 

 to it, and have sought to avert these by devising various 

 kinds of shoes, or other methods of arming the hoof. 



It is scarcely necessary to say, that from their neglect- 

 ing, or being unconscious of the harm that resulted from 

 the malpractices already indicated, their so-called improve- 

 ments have been impotent for good, and have soon been 

 consigned to forgetfulness. 



Objects to be attained. — We have stated what were 

 the objects to be attained when shoeing was first intro- 

 duced. To prevent undue wear of the horn, and at the 

 same time to secure a good foothold for the horse, appeal 

 to have been all that was considered essential in the in 

 fancy of the art of farriery. And it must be conceded 

 that, even now, these are the primary advantages to be 

 achieved in constructing a horse-shoe, no matter what 

 kind of task the horse that wears it may be required to 

 accomplish. 



There can scarcely be a doubt that any thing more 

 simple and efficient, and at the same time less expensive, 

 than a well-devised iron shoe, cannot at present be pro- 

 duced ; nor can the comparatively safe and ready method 

 of attaching it by nails be superseded by any other means 

 that we are acquainted with. All tentatives in this direc- 

 tion have failed, either because of their inefficiency or 

 greater expense. 



Simplicity, cheapness, durability, and perfect adapta- 



