Horses Going Unshod. 259 



ing her to an admiring stranger, whom I recognized as 

 John Roberts, the great billiard player, who dearly loves 

 a bit of racing. The poor mare was not destined to 

 reach the end of her journey, as the ship which was 

 taking her to Australia was lost. 



Dolly Varden was one of the few English horses I 

 liave seen in India that had exceptionally strong feet. 

 She had such good ones that I always worked her bare- 

 foot, although I had to use her sparingly on metalled 

 roads during the rains. I have already remarked that 

 the drier the climate in which horses are bred and reared, 

 the stronger and sounder, as a rule, will be their hoofs. 

 Horses with really good feet can be used for saddle work 

 and in light draught, except on metalled roads, perfectly 

 well without shoes, so long as the ground underfoot is 

 •dry; but as soon as it becomes wet, the horn of the 

 hoofs, by absorbing moisture, gets so soft, that it 

 becomes quickly worn down when subjected to friction 

 against the ground. We may see numerous instances 

 of this in the indigo districts, where, as there are 

 few metalled roads, the planters usually ride their 

 animals unshod for their district work, but as soon as 

 the rains set in they are obliged to have shoes put on. 

 Of course I am speaking in general terms, and am 



