ON THE ART OF SHOEING. 345 



a convex and oval furface of mce\ Many of 

 thefe adepts pare away the fole, and thin the 

 frog, almoft to the quick, by way of making 

 what they efteem handfome work ; and as the 

 horfe becomes tender in confequence, they 

 proceed to load his feet with an additional 

 weight of iron. By way of opening the heels, 

 in their phrafe, they cut away from the bars, in 

 five minutes, more fubftance than nature is able 

 to replace in as many weeks ; and which fub- 

 ftance, as has been faid, is the very thing that 

 intervenes between the frog and heels, to pre- 

 ferve them from becoming narrow. 



Common juftice, however, obliges me to ac- 

 knowledge, that our farriers, in general, are 

 much improved in the art of late years, not 

 only in the metropolis, but in different parts of 

 the country, which is doubtlefs to be attributed, 

 in a great meafurc, to the eftabliihmcnt of a 

 Veterinary College. But great numbers dill 

 hold out. In imitation of their betters, they 

 anfwer any propofition of reform, by faying, 

 they are not prepared to change the principles 

 upon which Horfes have gone well fo long. 

 They had rather reft contented with the pre- 

 fent evil (granting it one) than run the rifk of 

 incurring another, of the confequencesof which 

 they are ignorant. Thefe are weighty argu- 

 ments. Such is the constitution of tilings, that 

 all kinds of bufinefs may be carried on, and 



even 



