184 HORSES AND ROADS. 



slippery iron opposed to the smooth stones, the 

 more they slip. It is only through encountering 

 resistance in the joints between the paving-stones 

 that they are able to start at all. As the mules 

 have discovered this, they knowingly start on the 

 tips of their toes, in order to let them catch these 

 irregularities : they have found out that by putting 

 their feet down flat they slip over them. The full 

 use of the frog is what they are in want of. They 

 would not start on their toes if this were put at 

 their disposition ; but no shoe can give it, except 

 the Charlier tip. 



Mr. Fearnley says : — ' People will watch a horse 

 drawing a heavy load up a hill, violently digging his 

 toes into the ground, or backing a load down a hill, 

 digging his heels into the ground, and then go home 

 and invent a shoe ! ' 



What oceans of misdirected ingenuity have been 

 wasted over this bugbear — an article that is entirely 

 unnecessary. It is true that Mr. Fearnley does not 

 go quite so far as to say this — he has no experience 

 in working unshod horses ; but he does say that the 

 simplest and smallest of all, the Charlier, 'is at 

 once the most scientific, as it is the most common^ 

 sense, shoe.' He is about as late an authority on 

 the subject as can be found ; but all advice in this 

 direction seems to be cast to the winds. People rely 

 more on the knowledge of their stable-helpers and 

 farriers, and ask their opinion on the subject, which 

 is, of course, that they know more about it than all 

 the professors yet born, and they know that all parts 



