14 



was not long however, before I found, what I desu-ed, in a 

 gentleman who had worked three horses through the summer 

 with five nails, and who kindly offered one of them for my 

 experiment ; he had some misgiving at first, and, although 

 liis horse carried him more pleasantly than usual, he never 

 could entii'ely divest himself of the idea, that a shoe might 

 possibly be lost, and not without reason, for this horse, when 

 shod in the usual manner even with eight nails, was re- 

 markable for casting his shoes ; but one day a sharp run 

 over a deep, clay country so effectually c[uieted all his doubts 

 and fears, that lie has never thouglit of his horse's shoes 

 since ; and, after wearing out three or four pairs of such 

 shoes, he offered his horse, to be shod with five : this also 

 proving successful, he volunteered a second ; and they have 

 both continued to carry their shoes safely through many try- 

 ing days. He once for a moment thought the charm was 

 broken ; he was informed in the middle of a run, that his 

 horse had cast a shoe, but upon examination it proved to 

 be the shoe of his informant's horse with eight nails in it. 

 Another gentleman allowed me to shoe one for him with 

 six nails, which I did many times with the most satisfactory 

 result. The horse cut so badly, that they were always obhged 

 to shoe him upon the one-sided jjlan ; but they did not 

 manage it well, and tlie shoes were frequently found after 

 hunting to have shifted so much upon his feet, as to re- 

 quire to be replaced. When I first saw him, they were 

 fastened with nine nails and two clips, which I speedUy re- 

 duced to six nails and one clip. It was in directing the 

 shoeing of this horse, that I discovered the kmd of shoe. 



