EXPERIENCE IN ENGLAND OF AN UNSHOD HORSE. 123 



that are ' pitched,' or paved with stone, somewhat 

 like London streets, only more roughly, in parts 

 where they would in the rainy season become other- 

 wise impassable ; as, in certain places, such roads do 

 exist to the writer's personal knowledge. 



' People in this country seem to have no idea 

 what a horse's foot is. They have always seen 

 horses shod, and think they always must be shod, 

 and never will alter the method if they are let 

 alone.' Thanks, 'Aberlorna,' for putting the thing 

 so plainly ; it comes so much better from you. Some 

 who think of a horse's foot only as a lump of horn 

 stuck on to the end of his leg for the purpose of 

 nailing a shoe on to, will be led by you to investi- 

 gate the nature of the foot of the horse. 



' As to farriers, it is useless talking to them. 

 Take your horses to them, and make them follow 

 out your directions through thick and thin; it is 

 the only way.' Exactly so ; no one could give better 

 advice. 



In November, 1878, a correspondent wrote in a 

 contemporary : — ' The argument against horseshoes 

 seemed to me so strong, and the convenience of 

 doing without them so great, that I resolved to try 

 the experiment. Accordingly, when my pony's shoes 

 were worn out, I had them removed, and gave him 

 a month's rest at grass, with an occasional drive of 

 a mile or two on the high road while his hoofs were 

 hardening. The result, at first, seemed doubtful. 

 The hoof was a thin shell, and kept chipping away, 

 until it had worn down below the holes of the 



