' TOMMY.' 161 



I may here mention that when the photograph 

 was taken the horse was fourteen years old, and 

 that its height was fifteen hands one and a half 

 inches. 



Here is another photograph, representing the 

 hoof of ' Tommy,' another of Mr. A. F. Astley's 

 horses. 



I possess many letters from Mr. Astley in which 

 he describes the trouble which he had with ' Tommy,' 

 who was about as unsatisfactory a 

 subject for an experiment as could 

 well be imagined, having only one 

 fairly sound hoof out of the four. 

 Several times his owner was on the 

 point of abandoning the enterprise 

 as a failure, so fragile was the hoof, hoop of mr. as j ley's 



-r> n /7 HORSE ' TOMMY.' 



rerseverance, however, as mostly is 

 the case, succeeded at last, and ' Tommy ' was able to 

 work without shoes far better than he had done 

 while wearing them. 



The history of ' Tommy ' is briefly as follows. 



When the photograph was taken, the horse was 

 sufficiently old for his age to be uncertain. His 

 colour was chestnut, and his low-heeled hoofs white. 

 He had then been constantly worked for ten months 

 without shoes or any protection for the hoof. 



The day before the photograph was taken, Mr. 



M 



