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they will cafily penetrate to the flefhy fole, 

 lame the horfe for a confiderable time, and 

 ibmetimes for his life. 



Suppofe a horfe lofes a (hoe, which often 

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

 cannot go an hundred paces before he grows 

 lame ; becaufe, as in this ftate the fole is hol- 

 lowed away, the horfe is fuftained only upon 

 the walls of the hoof, which having no alîift- 

 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 fubftance, the fooner he grows quite 

 lame. 



But this cannot happen to a horfe, whofe fole 

 is left intire in its full ftrength ; 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 molt certain that all horfes, except fuch as 

 have their feet overgrown j or fuch as may have 

 a particular occafion of being fhod topreferve the 

 fole, may, at any rate, go without lhoes ; and 

 we have examples among ourfelves, (without 

 mentioning the cuftoms 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 



