REPORT OF CAPT. GEORGE B. M^CLELLAN. 



267 



All the horses of the school are shod here ; also those of the inhabitants of the town and its 

 vicinity ; the money thus earned pays the expenses of the school. 



The shoes are made altogether by hand, and are rather rough. 



For small feet, 6 nails are used ; for those of medium size, 7 ; for large feet, such as those of 

 cuirassier horses, 8. 



As the regulations require the method of cold shoeing to be used in the French army, that 

 alone is used here, and is as follows : 



The old shoe is removed, and the foot prepared to receive the new shoe. An exact impression 

 of the foot is then taken on a sheet of paper, which is laid against the sole of the foot, and 

 pressed against the edge of the foot by the hand. 



The pedometer (which is either a thin flexible bar of lead, or a chain of short, stiff, bar links,) 

 is now employed ; this is bent to the exact shape of the impression on the paper, and serves as 

 a guide and measure in forging the shoe. 



This impression is taken once for all, for each horse. 



In the regiments, each farrier has a register, at the head of each page of which is inscribed 

 the name and number of a horse ; below are traced the impressions of his fore and hind feet, 

 which can always be reproduced by means of the podometre, or a paper form. Any necessary 

 remarks, as to peculiarities of the horse's foot, and directions for shoeing him, are inscribed by 

 the veterinary. A note is made in the register every time the horse is shod. 



No shoe should remain on more than from 30 to 40 days. 



By means of this register the farrier prepares, at his leisure, four shoes for each horse, which 

 number should always be on hand ; the veterinary inspects them, sees the nail holes punched, 

 and has them marked with the number of the horse. 



On the march, every man must be provided with 4 shoes thus fitted, also with two sets of nails. 



The horses are not taken to the forge to be shod, but the operation is jDerformed wherever 



they happen to be. 



In garrison, they leave the stable only long 



enough to have the old shoe removed, the hoof 



trimmed, and the new shoe nailed on. 



At Saumur, the registers belong to the school, 

 and not to the farriers ; the horses, too, are 

 generally taken to the shop to be shod. 



Another register is kept here, in which is 

 recorded the work done every day, giving the 

 names of the horses, or of their owners, the 

 number of shoes put on, and on what foot, also 

 the names of the men doing the work, so that 

 they may be held responsible for any work badly 

 done. 



I observed at this school an arrangement for 

 curing contracted heels ; it is said that, by means 

 of it, very bad cases are permanently cured in a 

 few months. 



^^ ,^ The annexed sketches show the arrangement. 



''. , /\ ^ / The instrument represented by figs. 1 and 2 is 



applied to the bars of the hoof; turning the screw, the piece B recedes from A, and thus opens 



