HISTORY OF HORSE-SHOEING. 7 



The period comprised between the Roman conquest of Gaul 

 and the fall of the West Roman Empire in 476, termed by the 

 French the Gallo-Roman period, affords however other examples 

 of shoes. These are found in great numbers in the ruins of 

 this period, associated with coins, weapons, and various other 

 objects, and many are to be seen in the principal museums of 

 Germany, France, Belgium, and England. They resemble those 

 of the Celtic period, and have the same bulging opposite the 

 nail-holes, but are larger and heavier (weighing from 6 to 9 

 ounces), and therefore appear destined for larger and heavier 

 horses. This might seem to indicate tliat the breeds of horses 

 were undergoing improvement. The nails had smaller heads, 

 the shanks were always quadrangular, the point never cut, but 

 folded over on the hoof, either in a straight line, or else in the 

 form of a ring. The clenching was incomplete, and resembled 

 that practised at the present day by certain nomad tribes and 

 by the Eastern nations. 



The shoes found in Switzerland, Germany, and Belgium 

 usually show a distinct fullering, and six to eight nail-holes. 

 The outer border is somewhat bulged, as in the plain shoes. 

 The toe is wide. Many shoes have narrow thick heels, or even 

 calkins. Occasionally there is a toepiece. 



In the museum at Avignon is a bas-relief of the second 

 century. It represents two horses drawing a carriage contain- 

 ing three persons — the driver with his w^hip, a man in Gallic 

 costume, and a lictor provided with his staff of office. The 

 shoes, and even the nails, on the fore-feet of one horse are 

 quite clearly visible. In the Louvre ^luseum, Paris, there is 

 a bas-relief of a carriage with horses, the first of which is shod 

 on all four feet. The nails are clenched. The general appear- 

 ance recalls the time of the first Emperor. 



The horses of the Roman patricians were not invariably 

 shod, in many cases the front-feet alone being so protected. 

 According to French authors, some of the peoples, more especi- 

 ally those of German origin, included in the Roman Empire, 

 possessed the art of shoeing. The references to shoeing during 

 this period are obscure, and often repose on the evidence of 

 fables and songs. According to one account, St George (who 

 lived about the end of the third century), while in pursuit of 

 a dragon, lost a shoe, and continued the chase until his horse's 



