OR, The Turn Out. 131 



closing this article on " Cart, Farm, and Pit Gears,'* it may 

 not be out of place to state that what is there set forth in 

 reference to the shoeing of saddle and carriage horses, is 

 equally applicable to draught horses, on the feet of which 

 it is highly essential that as much care and attention should 

 be bestowed as upon those of the hackney or hunter ; indeed, 

 seeing the heavy loads the waggon horse has to draw sug- 

 gests for itself that every means, consistent with efficiency, 

 should be adopted for reducing as much as possible the 

 weight of iron upon his feet, and guarding against his being 

 unskilfully or improperly shod ; and the more so consider- 

 ing the fact that the great weight he has behind him in- 

 creases his torture when pricked by a carelessly driven nail. 

 This adds to the difficulty of keeping him upon his feet in 

 slippery weather, particularly when the roughing is neglected, 

 or improperly done ; because, in the first instance, the sub- 

 stance of the shoe adds to the pressure upon the nail and 

 forces it into the sensitive part of the foot, while in the latter, 

 when once the animal slips, the weight of the load forces it 

 down ; whereas a horse with a light load and safe shoes might, 

 if he stumble, recover his footing without falling, in which 

 case the beariiig-rein has nothing to do with the question. 



The foot-gear of the horse should — as the motto heading 

 these lines expresses it — ** fit as easy as an old shoe," and 

 in the event of its being otherwise, the results to both the 

 animal and the man may be, and oft-times are, serious. 



The following excellent notice appeared in one of the 

 local papers, and was enclosed to the Author. It is here 

 given with the view to, if possible, ''drive the nail (or 

 argument) further home " : — 



Horse -Shoes and Hokse - Shoeing. — On an average, horses 

 require shoeing once a month. The length of time a shoe will 

 wear depends much on the kind of service a horse is doing, and 

 on the kind of road he is daily travelling. A team horse in heavy 

 draught does not wear out as many shoes as one used in a hack; 

 quick motion grinds shoes down more rapidly. Wooden pavement 

 is hut a little saving to the wear and tear of shoes, for the grit 

 and dust, which become impacted in the interstices of the wooden 

 block, grind away shoes like the friction of an emery wheel. The 

 hind shoes wear out first, and there is more strain and friction on 

 them than on the forward shoes. It is impossible and improper 

 for a horse to wear shoes more than six weeks, for the growth of 

 the foot shortens the shoe, as well as changes the shape otherwise. 

 The neglect will cause the shoe to encroach upon the soft textures 

 of the foot and produce lameness. There are but few practical 

 mechanics who have sufficiently studied the foot of the horse. It 

 18 not enough to know the anatomy of the foot, and where to 



