238 THROUGH STABLE AND SADDLE-ROOM. 



possibly cause a horse to fall or bruise the foot. It 

 is therefore advisable that it should be made con- 

 cave on its inner edge, from where the line of the 

 crust would come — hollowed out, as it were — and 

 rounded so as to prevent the possibility of a stone 

 lodging against it. 



A horse invariably travels (if his feet are not 

 overgrown) better on old shoes than on new, inas- 

 much as, the toe being worn by the circular motion 

 of the foot which I have above referred to, he is 

 saved the extra exertion of having to raise his foot 

 somewhat higher than necessary in order to clear 

 the ground. 



General Sir F. Fitzwygram — of whom I have 

 before made mention, and who has done very much 

 towards improving the shoeing of horses, and has 

 written more common-sense on the subject than 

 anyone else — invented a form of shoe which was 

 made at the toe after the fashion of a worn shoe, 

 only that the toe was made thick enough to stand 

 the month's wear. The toe being turned up, neces- 

 sitates the crust being slightly cut away at the toe 

 to receive it. 



Next to the ' Charlier,' this pattern of shoe is 

 the very best ever produced, and it has been with 

 this pattern and his system in my mind that I have 

 written the above ; indeed, the shoe I have just 



