STABLE REFORMS. 229 



might get bad again ; liowever_, I shall see him ere long, 

 and judge for myself.* No. 5 had corns. The cause 

 being removed_, the effect followed ; he was otherwise a 

 sound horse, but not a safe hunter, and, not being an 

 old friend, I sold him also. Last season I had two new 

 ones. I shod them with the Charlier shoe all round ; 

 they were sound, and continued so. Therefore I do not 

 recommend the system without fair ground for doing so. 

 Besides hunters, I have tried it with equal success on 

 harness horses and road hacks. 



A friend at Melton tells me that the Charlier shoe is in 

 use there, and gaining ground ; but that the sportsmen 

 there use a very short one — hardly more than a tip, and 

 extending only to the bars — and that it answers well. I 

 have used still shorter tips, let into the foot, a la Char- 

 lier, and with great success, but chiefly on the road. 

 The theory of tips is that they are apt to strain the 

 sinew from lowering the heel, but I cannot say that I 

 have ever experienced this evil, nor seen it happen to 

 others. To end a very long yarn, we ought to come to a 

 conclusion as to what is the best shoe for all purposes. I 

 should say for hunters and hacks the Charlier shoe all 

 round, turned up behind if you like, and in strong feet 

 only coming as far back as the bars of the foot, in weak 

 feet to the heel — at all events until they grow strong. 

 But, by the way, nothing makes the heels grow so fast as 

 the wearing of tips. For light harness horses I should 

 say the same ; but for heavy work on the stones I should 

 recommend something different, for the hind feet at all 

 events. Calkins are absolutely needful for the hind feet 

 of omnibus horses, and in addition I would have the toe 

 or some of it, square, so as to give a good ijoint d/a]j]pui 

 With common shoes he became as groggy as ever. 



