LUDGATE HILL. 79 



in depth, while the front of the shoe had a toe-bar of 

 the same depth and seven-eighths of an inch in thick- 

 ness. Yet, the toe -bar, after about three weeks' wear, 

 has been so rubbed down that scarcely a quarter of 

 an inch remains. 



Still, even this exceptionally hard and rough pav- 

 ing did not injure the hoofs of horses which were 

 unprotected with iron shoes. 



Very smooth pavements, such as those of wood 

 and asphalte, especially in sloping ground, are apt, 

 particularly when wet, to cause horses to slip and 

 fall. A very familiar example of such a pavement is 

 to be found in Ludgate Hill, which is the scene of 

 more accidents to horses than perhaps any other 

 track of similar length in the whole of London. 



Ludgate Hill is the terror of drivers, who speak 

 of it as if it were Mont Blanc. Yet, it is not at all a 

 long nor a steep hill. The length is only about two 

 hundred yards, and the rise not quite nine yards — a 

 mere trifle. Yet, in damp, and especially in 'greasy' 

 weather as it is called, horses are constantly falling 

 upon Ludgate Hill. 



Fallen horses are so common that few people 

 take the trouble to stop and look at their hoofs. If 

 they were to do so, the cause of the fall would be at 

 once evident. 



The natural safety-pad of the hoof, which would 



