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CHAPTER XV. 



PROGRESS OF THE ART OF FARRIERY. FUTILE ATTEMPTS TO IMPROVE 

 IT. DISADVANTAGES OF SHOEING. FUNCTIONS OF THE FOOT TO 

 BE STUDIED. ADVANTAGES OF THE ANCIENT SYSTEM. GERMAN 

 SHOEING AND HOOF-PARING. ITS EVIL RESULTS. TRADITIONAL 



SHOEING. ROUTINE. ERRONEOUS THEORIES. MALTREATMENT OF 

 THE horse's FOOT. LAFOSSe's TEACHING. REftUIREMENTS OF 



GOOD SHOEING. STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS OF THE HOOF. BAD 

 SHOEING. RULES TO BE OBSERVED. BEST FORM OF SHOE, AND 

 METHOD OF APPLICATION. HEREDITARY DISEASES. SHOEING IN 

 AMERICA AND ARABIA. EFFECTS OF EUROPEAN SHOEING. DANGERS 

 OF IMPROPER SHOEING. SCIENTIFIC APPLICATION OF THE FARRIEr's 

 ART. AN APPEAL TO HORSEMEN. 



There are probably few arts which have been known 

 and practised for so long a period, which have been found 

 of such general utility, and yet have undergone so little 

 modification or real improvement as this of horse-shoeing. 

 The earliest model of an iron shoe we can discover differs 

 but little in form from those now in everyday use ; and 

 perhaps there are not many arts which have attracted a 

 larger share of attention and experiment by men who had 

 made the subject their profound study, and others who 

 had not, and knew but little of the theoretical principles 

 which should govern its practice. Books have been 

 written by scores, promulgating new methods ; patents 



innumerable have thrown their cegis over inventions 



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