SHOEING. 547 



manentlj^ shod in this way, and but for the danger of pulling 

 these shoes off, and the little hold which they take of the 

 ground, hacks might also sometimes be shod advantageously 

 with the bar shoe. It is unsightly, certainly, and at pres- 

 ent marks the existence of some disorder, and for these 

 reasons it is now seldom employed, except on compulsion." 



We will now conclude our extract from Youatt, and then 

 proceed with our own comments. 



" The shoe must vary in substance and weight with the 

 kind of foot and the nature of the work. A weak foot 

 should never wear a heavy shoe, nor any foot a shoe that 

 will last longer than a month. Here, perhaps, we may be 

 permitted to caution the horse proprietor against having his. 

 cattle shod by contract, unless he binds down his farrier or 

 veterinary surgeon to remove the shoes once at leacst in every 

 month ; for if the contractor, by a he^vy shoe and a little 

 steel, can cause five or six weeks to intervene between the 

 shoeings he will do so, although the feet of the horse must 

 necessarily suffer. The shoe should never be heavier than 

 the work requires, for an ounce or two in the weight of the 

 shoe will sadly tell at the end of a hard day's work. This 

 is acknowleged in the hunting shoe, which is narrower and 

 lighter than that of the hackney, although the foot of the 

 hackney is smaller than that of the hunter. It is more de- 

 cidedly acknowledged in the racer, who wears a shoe only 

 sufficiently thick to prevent it from bending when it is used." 



The above directions are applicable to any country, and can 

 not be well improved upon in the main, but we must differ 

 in some respects with their author, as will hereafter appear. 

 ^Smiths are generally more careful, and understand their 

 business . better in. this country than is above represented. 

 There has been a comniendable spirit of improvement among 

 our smiths of late years in the art of good shoeing. Some 

 of them make mistakes, but not oftenel" than is common in 

 other departments of business. Some do not understand 

 their business, but of these there are not many. 



To shoe a horse well is a very nice operation. There is 



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