they commenced to look like a gold mine and somewhat 

 talked about among horsemen, Mr. Scanlan would always 

 sell them for a reasonable offer. The colts were all clean 

 gaited, as he always kept the colt's feet of proper size and 

 level from three months' of age. They were all strong go- 

 ing. They all looked very prosperous. It seemed it was 

 the way he developed them. He would never drive a colt 

 to a break, neither would he speed them long distances to 

 make them tired, to discourage them. They got most all 

 of their exercise on the road and when they came to the 

 track they enjoyed the smooth footing, and at times it 

 looked as if they would run away on a trot. They could 

 always do a little more than what they had reputation for. 

 Then when a prospect buyer came, sales were made easy 

 and quick, and in that way Mr. Scanlon never owned a race 

 horse. I remember, I was called to his home place to shoe 

 a three-year-old, and, as he remarked to me : There is some 

 one here who wants to see the colt step this afternoon, and, 

 I wonder if it would be better to let the shoeing 

 go till after I have shown the colt, as he is going very good 

 as he is. I might have left them as they were, but the 

 shoes had worn so thin that they were not safe to start 

 with. Just after I had the feet ready for the new shoes, 

 it commenced to rain, but it was only a shower. However, 

 it made the track a little slippery, and as it happened I made 

 the hind shoes a little different, the same as I would shoe all 

 speedy horses, from what I had been shoeing him with. 

 I had forged the toe of the hind shoes in a spoon shaped 

 form. That kind of a toe gives a horse a sure grip for 

 propelling. Such a toe keeps always clean, and, making the 

 other part of the shoe half round, the feet do not fill with 

 anything that interferes with a horse's balance or his speed. 

 As I showed them to Mr. Scanlan, he said, I don't know 

 how they will suit the colt, but I like them. This is true. 

 A change in shoes is all right at any time, when we know the 

 change is an improvement. And while the track was slip- 



45 



