232 THROUGH STABLE AND SADDLE-ROOM. 



I ever seen him ; so I have , no interest in the 

 success of his shoe financially. I only p raise it 

 because it is worthy of all praise ; and were I able 

 to find a farrier within reach of my home to whom 

 I could entrust the shoeing of my horses by the 

 ' Charlier ' system, I should most certainly not use 

 any other kind of shoe in my stable. 



After this eulogy, the reader will probably wish 

 to know what manner of shoe the ' Charlier ' shoe 

 is. Before I proceed to explain, it is necessary for 

 me to state that, inasmuch as Nature did not intend 

 a horse to travel on macadamized roads, so she 

 equally did intend that the sole of a horse's foot 

 should come in contact with the ground ; and if such 

 is prevented, the sole, from disuse, must necessarily 

 become shrunken and lose vitality, as would any 

 one of our own members become weak and feeble 

 if we were to forbear using it. Thus, if we 

 were to always carry one arm in a sling, and 

 never use it, it would waste. Therefore, for the 

 sole of a horse's foot to be kept in a healthy state, 

 and for the horn to grow well and strong, it must 

 be used. 



Again, if it were necessary for a person to walk 

 over a rough or hard road for several miles, he 

 would hardly be likely to elect to do so in pumps ; 

 rather would he don his thickest shooting-boots — 



