272 THE PERFECT HORSE. 



where a shoe maj be immediately procured, the horse 

 instantly becomes lame from the thinness of the sole and 

 weakness of the crust, and is hardly able to support 

 the weight of his own body, much less that of his rider." 



This, also, must have been prophetic in its application 

 to our times : — 



" So much are farriers, grooms, &c., prejudiced in 

 favor of the common method of shoeing and paring out 

 the feet, that it is with difficulty they can even be pre- 

 vailed upon to make a proper trial of it. They cannot 

 be satisfied unless the frog be finely shaped, the sole 

 pared, the bars cut out, in order to make the heels 

 appear wide. This practice gives them a show of wide- 

 ness for the time ; yet that, together with the concave 

 form of the shoe, forwards the contraction of the heels, 

 which, when confirmed, renders the animal lame for life. 

 In this flat form of shoe its thickest part is upon the out- 

 side of the rim, where it is most exposed to be worn; 

 and, being made gradually thinner towards its inner 

 edge, it is, therefore, much lighter than the common con- 

 cave shoe, yet it will last equally as long, and with more 

 advantage to the hoof; and, as the frog and heel are 

 allowed to rest upon the ground, the foot enjoys the 

 same points of support as in its natural state. It must, 

 therefore, be much easier for the horse in his way of 

 going, and be a means of making him surer-footed. It 

 is likewise evident that from this shoe the hoof cannot 

 acquire any bad form, when at the same time it receives 

 every advantage that possibly could be expected from 



