I02 



HORSE-SHOES AND HORSE-SHOEING. 



Montfauqon, however, believed it to be really a horse- 

 shoe, and adds, ' the shoe is small ; whence it is conjectured 

 the animal it belonged to was of a diminutive size.' And 

 in reply to the objection that the Franks did not shoe 

 their horses, he replies : ' Perhaps only the greatest persons 

 had their horses shod in those times ; and afterwards, 

 probably when the practice of shoeing was more general, 

 the Franks only shod their cavalry occasional lij, as in 

 frost, for example, in the ninth century.' 



In the accompanying 

 copy of this restored, but 

 '^<it \ doubtful, shoe (fig. 5), it will 



^ \ be seen that there was but a 

 \ s\\ \ slender instalment to base 

 \ i j such an outline upon. Mont- 

 1 ¥ / fauqon says, in explanation ot 

 / / the drawing : ' The horse- 

 /... / shoe of Childeric has been 

 "---J here represented entire, al- 



fig- 5 though only a portion of it 



teressante d'Oberflacht, out rencontre un equipement complet de cheval 



sans fer Le fer de Childeric V, ainsi que les squelettes de 



chevaux francs trouves en AUemagne, prouve que cette race etait petite, 

 ce qui est conlirme par Tacite : 



Equi (eoruni) non forma conspicui. 



Nainur, rapporteur des fouilles de Dallieim, dit : ' II paraii etaijii que les 

 chevaux gaulois des premiers siecles de I'ere chretienne elaient de petits 

 chevaux de selle, demi-sauv ages, a petits sabots durs et retrecis, comme le 

 sout encore aujourd'hui les chevaux demi-sauvages eleves dansl'Ukraine 

 et dans les steppes qui avoisinent la mer Caspienue.' — Le Toiiileuii dc 

 ChUderlc r. Paris, i852. 



