I 



354 ON THE ART OF SHOEING. 



fkewers, in the name of nails, the weight of 

 which, altogether, tears and batters his hoofs to 

 pieces, wounds his patterns and legs, and ren- 

 ders him liable, at every Hep, to {trains in his 

 joints and finews. But this is the lean: part of 

 the danger, to which he is fo fourthly expofed : 

 although employed in fuftaining upon his back 

 immenfe loads as fhaft-horfe, and in drawing 

 weights which require the utmolt exertion of his 

 powers over a pavement, frequently as flippery 

 as glafs, his heels are hoifted upon {lilts, and the 

 iron which covers his feet, is purpofely worked 

 into a globular or oval furface, not unlike a wal- 

 nut- (hell! a procedure, one would fuppofe, which 

 could only refult (fpeaking of the proprietor of 

 the bead) from downright infanity. Setting 

 afide the imminent peril of accidents, (trains, 

 bruifes, and foundering from the burning heat 

 of fuch fhoes in work, how is it polfible that a 

 horfe, with fo ticklifh a hold upon the ground, 

 can make the moft of his {trength, fuch a large 

 portion of which is walled and confumed in 

 difheartening ftruggles, merely to keep himfelf 

 upon his legs. To fee the dreadful cruelty 

 with which generous and obedient animals are 

 whipped during thefe extremities, is enough to 

 drive a feeling mind to diftraclion. 



We generally find that cruelty originates in 

 fome little, dirty, contemptible intereft, or 

 rather fuppofed intcreit. It is precifely the 



cafe 



