220 HOESE POETRAITUKE. 



ments of a horse when well, the eye will detect changes 

 the most skillful could not see, if not acquainted with the 

 peculiarities of the animal. I have seen the removal of 

 shoes followed by a difference so marked, that the change 

 would be ascribed to something serious having happened ; 

 and as an illustration of this, will recount a circumstance 

 that occurred before I adopted the present system of shoe- 

 ing. I sent a horse to the shop to have his shoes reset. 

 He came back apparently all right, yet, when taken out 

 in the afternoon to walk, I saw a shortening of his step, 

 which soon changed to positive lameness. The most thor- 

 ough examination failed to discover the cause, though I 

 felt convinced the shoeing was the reason. The job had 

 evidently been done with the greatest care ; the shoe fit- 

 ted exactly, and every nail was driven the same distance 

 above it. I thought that perhaps the clinches had been 

 too closely drawn, hampering the foot with the pressure. 

 It was too late to take him back to the shop that night, so 

 the foot-tub was brought in requisition, and the soaking 

 kept up till bed-time. Next morning he was worse, there- 

 fore I went to the shop with him myself. The smith was 

 positive the injury was not caused by the shoeing, and 

 suggested sprains of the coffin-joint, pastern, elbow, or 

 shoulder. He cut the clinches, drawing the nails out sep- 

 arately, when we soon discovered what had caused the 

 difficulty. The nail in making had been split, and, in 

 driving, the parts had divided, one portion coming out 

 where intended, the other, following a straight course, had 

 pressed on the sensitive portion of the foot, and, of course, 

 the hurt increased as the walk was continued. The sys- 

 tem of shoeing we are now practicing would, in a meas- 

 ure, guard against the occurrence of this accident the 

 nails being hardly more than half the customary length, 

 and the point of exit much nearer the shoe, so that the 



