SHOES. 160 



inconveniences are in daily use, from many of which 

 horses suffer. 



In assisting horses in drawing heavy weights up 

 hill, a very great deal may be done in a way that is 

 very little attended to; namely, by a proper hind 

 shoe. I have pointed this out to many coachmen 

 when sitting beside them, and I only recollect one 

 who had ever given the thing a thought ; though, on 

 my pointing out the disadvantage the horses worked 

 under from its neglect, they always promised they 

 would take the hint. 



I make no doubt many of my readers, when riding 

 on a box and going up hill, have observed the leaders 

 (who are or ought to be called upon pretty freely at 

 such times) ; if they have, they have also remarked 

 the twisting of their hocks, and indeed the whole leg, 

 from side to side: this chiefly arises from the bad 

 form of the shoe. It is quite clear that in going up 

 steep hills the toe of the hind foot takes the first 

 bearing on the ground ; indeed, some horses on these 

 occasions hardly press it with the heel at all. It 

 must be quite evident that the greater expanse of 

 bearing we give a foot on the earth the firmer must 

 be the tread, and as the hind foot is the great fulcrum 

 by which a horse gets up hill with a load, too much 

 attention cannot be given to efiect the firmest hold 

 for it. The toes of shoes are very generally made 

 round, or nearly so ; the consequence is, the horse's 

 toe comes to the ground on a very small segment of 

 a circle — in fact, on a pivot — the effect of which is, 

 the foot turns to the right and feft, and the legs and 

 hocks naturally follow the turn of the foot : this of 

 course produces the twisting of the hocks I allude to, 

 and the leg not being able to be kept straight, the 



