HISTORY OF IIOKSE-SHOEING. 15 



the outer heel. In short, it was far from conforming to the 

 shape of the hoof, and had many bad points. Well-formed 

 shoes, like well-formed hoofs, were rare ; and whilst in many 

 parts of England great progress had been made, Germany con- 

 tinued in the old ways. Only Hanover, which for a long time 

 had been under English influence, presented any exception. 

 The hoof was prepared for the shoe to such a degree that the 

 sole could be indented with the finger, and was excessively 

 weakened. The toe was usually left too long in proportion to 

 the heels, and heavy badly-shaped shoes which pinched the heels 

 were applied. Even model shoes of this period exhibit many 

 defects. In spite of a number of good books on farriery, such as 

 those of Dieterich, Gros, and Straus, in which the functions and 

 anatomy of the foot are described, the art of farriery was much 

 neglected, and farriers, as a class, were wanting in the knowledge 

 necessary to combine science with practice. 



At the beginning of 1840 an attempt was made to introduce 

 from France the method of hot fitting, and the use of Eiquet's 

 pedometer, but althougli previously employed for many years 

 in the French army, these w^ere soon given up in Germany, 

 because of their unpractical nature. Xor did Pauly's attempt 

 to dispense with nails meet with any greater success. 



In 1852 a further stimulus to the art was given by English 

 intiuence in Miles's hrochurc on The Horse's Hoof, and hoiv to 

 keep it Healthy, the 7th edition of w^hich was translated by 

 Guitard. This book gradually produced an entire change of 

 views. Miles was the first to show how the shoe should be 

 fitted to the foot, and how it should be made in order to 

 preserve the elasticity of the hoof when shod : he recommended 

 six nail-holes, but used only five nails ; and he suggested round- 

 ing the toe, so as to conform to the natural wear of the hoof. 

 Although much of his teaching is erroneous, his writings have an 

 enduring value. Even at the present day their infiuence can 

 be distinctly seen in the shoeing system of the Austrian army. 



In Saxony, Hartmann's attejnpts to break with old tradi- 

 tions are w^orthy of notice. Hartmann and Leisering's work 

 on the horse's foot, published at Dresden in 1861, produced a 

 marked impression, both on account of the excellent illustrations 

 relating to the anatomy and physiology of the foot, and of the 

 principles set forth in the second part for the practice of 



