052 



SHOEING. 



FIG. 468. Good model of road-shoe. 



dition to require a continual paring away, and the horse is hope- 

 lessly ruined. Wealthy men in England, who are in the habit 



of riding much, finding 

 that a horse will ride 

 easier by having the soles 

 pared out thin, require to 

 have it clone, not caring if 

 it does spoil the horse in a 

 short time, as they are 

 able to buy others. 



While in conversation 

 on this subject with Dr. 

 Hamill, before referred to, 

 I asked the question: 

 "Doctor, what do you 

 think of thinning out the 

 sole as usually practiced? " 

 His answer was: "It is 

 death to the foot, because 

 the foot in consequence 



loses its moisture so rapidly that it becomes a direct cause of con- 

 traction through the absorption which takes place. This, acting 

 on the nutrition of the part, 

 may cause various changes, 

 etc. Yet there are occasions 

 when extreme paring may 

 be resorted to with some 

 advantage." In explana- 

 tion he related the follow- 

 ing incident: Some years 

 ago when John H. Cook, 

 the celebrated equestrian, 

 came from Paris to per- 

 form at the New York Cir- 

 cus, his horses were consid- 

 erably the worse for the long 

 passage and close confine- 

 ment. Two of them, both 



Splendid animals, had their FIG. 409. Bearing surface of tlie same. 



