306 ON THE TREATMENT OF HORSES' FEET, 



actively employed on the Continent — the French post, 

 or diligence horse. The hunters of that country I 

 know nothing about ; and as to their saddle-horses, I 

 have never seen any of them out of a walk or slow 

 jog-trot. It is to be observed, that these horses are of a 

 very different description from our English horses. The 

 French post-horse may be said to be a well-bred, light 

 sort of cart-horse. The French diligence horse is of a 

 similar description, but larger; both of them have 

 large, open, strong feet. These horses are net only 

 very differently used, but they are also very differ- 

 ently kept to what the mail, post, and stage coach 

 horses are in England. The French horses go much 

 shorter stages, many of which are not half the distance 

 of our stages ; and besides this, they travel a much 

 slower pace — not more than five or six miles per hour; 

 and often on paved roads, which, I am inclined to 

 think, is another circumstance in favour of the French 

 horses' feet. 



The stables in which the French post and diligence 

 horses are kept are seldom or ever paved ; neither is it 

 by any means a general rule with the French stable 

 people to bed down their horses by day. Their horses' 

 feet are therefore much exposed to the cool, soft, 

 and somewhat moist surface of their stable floors. 

 But when we come to look at our English post, mail, 

 or coach horse, we find, that with regard to breeding, 

 he is altogether a different sort of animal, — his feet are 

 small and strong, and he is not only differently 

 employed and differently kept, but he is mostly going 

 at the rate of from ten to twelve miles an hour — a pace 



