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they will eafily penetrate to the flefhy fole, 

 lame the horfe for a confiderable time, and 

 fometimes for his life. 



Suppofe a horfe lofes a Ihoe, which often 

 happens, when his foot's but newly pared ; he 

 cannot go an hundred paces before he grows 

 lame j becaufe, as in this flate the fole is hol- 

 lowed away, the horfe is fuilained only upon 

 the walls of the hoof, which having no alTift- 

 ance of fupport from the horny fole, is imme- 

 diately worn and battered by the weight of the 

 horfe's body ; and the fooner he treads upon 

 any hard fubllance, the fooner he growls quite 

 lame. 



But this cannot happen to a horfe, whofe fole 

 is left intire in its full flrength ; for when the 

 fhoe happens to fall off, the fole and frog bear 

 upon the ground, eafe the walls of the hoof of 

 part of the weight of the body, and the horfe 

 thus unfhod, will purfue his journey, and come 

 in fafe and found. 



It is moll certain that all horfes, except fuch as 

 have their feet overgrov/n, or fuch as may have 

 a particular occafion of being fhod topreferve the 

 fole, may, at any rate, go without flioes •, and 

 we have examples among ourfelves, (without 

 mentioning the cufcoms of Arabia, or Tartary) 

 of horfes who are at daily work in the country, 

 without the leaft need of being ever fhod. But 

 as we employ all our care and addrefs to hol- 

 low the foot by paring it even to the quick ; 



and 



