ON THE ART OF SHOEING. 349 



the roads upon their frogs. For all thefe, I 

 know of no remedy, but the bar, or round 

 fhoe ; which ought to be made as light and flat 

 as poMible, and fo contrived, that the foot may 

 fland in a natural pofition, and the frog reft 

 upon the bar. People in general are preju- 

 diced againft the appearance of this defcription 

 of fhoe, which is, neverthelefs, in common ufe 

 in fome parts of the world ; but that, if judi- 

 cioufly made and well affixed, it is perfectly 

 fafe, I have had many years experience over 

 pavement and roads of every kind. Indeed, 

 on reflection, it mud be fafer than the method in 

 which weak-heeled horfes are generally fhod, as 

 on the bar they find an additional point of fup- 

 port. The common method of fhoeing weak 

 heels, it is notorious, is with long fhoes, made 

 additionally thick at the heel, by way of cover- 

 ing the tender quarters, and hoifling them up 

 from the ground ; but by thefe long and heavy 

 fhoes, the quarters are gradually rendered ftill 

 weaker, and the cruft battered to pieces ; and 

 what with the heels being preternaturally lifted 

 up, and the foot having few and uncertain 

 points of fupport upon, perhaps, a convex fur- 

 faced fhoe, every flep of the horfe is attended 

 with danger. 



I have thus given up part of a very cele- 

 brated theory, and agreed that numbers of our 

 horfes, from the natural or acquired weaknefs 



of 



