THE HORSE. 87 



danger of calkins, as then commonly used ; observing 

 that, of two evils, it is better to choose the least, 

 which is to have two calkins instead of one, that the 

 horse's tread may be even. The ramponealla in- 

 vented by Fiaschi, was not like the calkin then and 

 at present in common use, but rather a button. His 

 opinion was, that though the common calkins were 

 intended to keep the horse from slipping, they yet 

 did more harm than good, by preventing him from 

 having an even tread upon the ground, whence he 

 often wrenched his pastern joints, or strained his 

 sinews. It seems their Barbs, Turks, and jennets, 

 which were raced in Italy, had very slippery courses 

 to run over, and this author recommended for them 

 a welted shoe, the surface hammered somewhat con- 

 cave, and the welt indented like a saw, for their se- 

 curity ; having a good opinion also of the round 

 Turkish shoe or planche, generally used in Italy for 

 racing. Blundeville prefers this shoe with button 

 nails, their heads resembling the present French nails, 

 so placed, that the horse may have a perfectly even 

 tread. For a tender and weak heeled horse engaged 

 over a hard stony course, I should prefer planched or 

 bar-plates. I have known such horses drop in- 

 stantly, as if shot, from treading upon a sharp flint. 



Blundeville gives thirty-two short chapters or sec- 

 tions on the hoofs and shoeing ; with twenty-four 

 figures of shoes of the following description: 



For the perfect hoof — the flat or pomised foot, 

 for weak heels ; for the false quarter, with shoulder- 

 ing, &c. — Lunets, or half-moon shoes — the planche, 



