MERITS AND DEMERITS. 677 



their full share of pressure with the ordinary hunting- 

 shoe. 



The Charlier shoe is difficult to make, and takes a 

 much longer time to apply by inexperienced workmen, 

 and the smaller and thinner the hoofs are, the more this 

 difficulty is increased. It requires skilful artisans, who 

 will, consequently, demand a higher price for their labour. 

 And even when fabricated from the best iron, I have 

 found it very liable to break at some one of the nail- 

 holes, and one of its most objectionable tendencies is to 

 widen at the points of the heels, owing to the lightness of 

 the metal. This can only be remedied by making the 

 shoe stronger, and of course heavier, or by having the 

 last nails placed near the ends of the branches. 



In the face of these obstacles, this method of shoeing 

 can scarcely be expected altogether to supersede the 

 sub-plantar system. 



For carriage and saddle horses, condemned to travel 

 incessantly on the pavement of large towns, and which 

 have strong hoofs, it may be advantageous to resort to it, 

 and particularly in cases where the heels have a tendency 

 to contraction. 



I have tried it with success in these cases, but the 

 same result would have followed the use of ' tips.' A 

 narrow rim of iron the length of a tip, incrusted in the 

 wall, is an excellent pathological shoe for a contracted 

 foot, or even for ordinary wear by light carriage or saddle 

 horses. 



Though my experience of the ' ferrure Charlier ' has 

 been in its favour, yet I would not at present venture to 

 recommend it for general application. It is not likely to 



