346 ON THE ART OF SHOEING. 



even with confiderable fuccefs, upon erroneous 

 principles. Many of the people of Ireland and 

 Scotland obliged their horfes to draw by the 

 tail, and took ages to be convinced, that it was 

 more convenient for them to do it with their 

 fhoulders. Our advocates for the old fyftem of 

 fhoeing have one good reafon for rejecting the 

 new ; which is, that they commonly reduce 

 their horfes feet to fuch an unnatural ftate, that 

 they have become incapable of it. 



The improvements which I have allowed, 

 have not yet reached the draft-horfes. Thefe 

 are (hod, even in London, the far greater part 

 of them, in the word and molt deftruclive 

 manner poffible ; of which, bye-and-by. The 

 change for the better in the fhoes of our fad- 

 dle-horfes is, they are neither fo long nor heavy 

 as formerly ; with refpccl to length, in general, 

 proper, and the nails of proper fize ; nor is the 

 terrible butteris in fuch conftant ufe, or the 

 binders of the hoof fo much cut away as for- 

 merly. But (excepting thofe of the College, 

 and fome few belonging to the running (tables) 

 our bed farriers (till are apt to make ufe of too 

 much iron, one reafon of which is, that they do 

 not always provide the bed fort ; their {hoes 

 are internally too concave, and externally not 

 fufficiently flat ; and they are flill obitinately 

 bent againft permitting the frog to reft upon 

 the ground, where that is pra6ticable. I fay, 



wiiere 



