RECOLLECTIONS OF MEN AND HORSES 



the purpose of studying hoof bearings and their in- 

 fluence on motion. The shelves of Mr. Bonner's 

 library in the house on West 56th Street, New York, 

 were filled with all the known writings on the anatomy 

 of the horse and the treatment of feet, and every 

 theory advanced was put to actual test in the black- 

 smith's shop. Although Mr. Bonner had great faith 

 in the originality of David Roberge, I heard him say 

 on more than one occasion that the " old man " could 

 not always be depended upon to wisely apply his 

 own laws. " I always want him with me when I 

 shoe Maud S. for a great performance, but not for 

 $10,000 would I allow him to direct her shoeing in 

 my absence." About the first thing that Mr. Bonner 

 did after Maud S. had been turned over to him by 

 Mr. Vanderbilt was to remove her shoes and change 

 the bearing of her feet. When his critics heard of 

 this, they predicted that he would ruin the mare, 

 that he would rob her of her speed, but, under the 

 shoeing of her new owner, she twice reduced her 

 record, a thing that would have been impossible had 

 she remained as she was when delivered. 



Right here I deem it appropriate to introduce an 

 extract from a paper read by Mr. Bonner at a meet- 

 ing of the New York Farmers held at the Metro- 

 politan Club, New York, on the I9th of February, 

 1895: 



" Before the first veterinary college was estab- 

 lished in England, besides the treatises of Bridges 

 and Osmer, there were works published by Dr. 



18 



