180 HORSE AND MAN. 



the hoofs of ' Stella.' With the exception of the 

 special ' preparation ' Mr. Astley used similar means 

 when dealing with ' Tommy's ' hoofs ; and, although 

 three hoofs of his horse were unsound, succeeded, 

 after several apparent failures, in rendering the 

 animal able to do exceptionally good work upon 

 hard roads without any artificial protection to the 

 hoofs. 



Dr. Brierley, of Manchester, who drove his unshod 

 horse for years over the rough granite roads of that 

 city, used no means except a gradually increasing 

 exercise on hard ground. I have seen and handled 

 the horse, which was then in full work, and all its 

 hoofs were absolutely perfect. 



Dr. Brierley has now a thirteen-hand pony, 

 which, when purchased, was about four years old, 

 had never been shod, but had not done much work. 

 However, as Dr. Brierley writes in a letter to me 

 (September 7, 1884), ' I ran him for a month without 

 shoes, and he ran perfectly well, and stepped. He 

 was absolutely sound, and the hoofs perfect. I con- 

 templated selling him, and had him shod with 

 Charliers, and ran him in that way up to a month 

 ago, when he fell, barking both knees, while passing 

 through Tarporley, in Cheshire.' 



The pony was now again worked, and when the 

 set of shoes had worn out, the hinder pair were not 



