CHAPTER XII. 



HISTORY OF ANTEEO CONTINUED SKETCH OF ANTEVOLO. 



The history of Anteeo was cai-ried in the preceding chapter until 

 February 23, 1882, when within seventy days of three years old, 

 and a resume to the present date, February 1, 1883, will show how 

 the tips have answered in his case. It would be tiresome to enter into 

 the histoi-y as minutely as I could give it, as everything in i-elation 

 to his shoeing and work has been noted in the daily journal. 



His case has probably elicited more discussion, or, rather, more 

 adverse comments on the method he was shod than will ever occur 

 again. He was brought prominently before the public from being 

 engaged in some important stakes, and all his shortcomings charged 

 to the tips. Had it been otherwise than that I was thoroughly 

 imbued, and obstinately confident of the correctness of the principle, 

 I would have suiTendered to the universal clamor. Having the 

 " courage of conviction " I was not to be moved by appeals, 

 ridicule, or the conjectures of people, many of them being as igno- 

 rant of what they talked so leax'nedly about as if they had never 

 seen a horse. Others had strong arguments, that is, when the guide 

 is previous opinions. Not one of them had tested the difference 

 between slioes and tips, and consequently their reasoning was })urely 

 theoretical. It is also true that on my part I could not say authoi-i- 

 tatively that Anteeo would not trot faster with full shoes, as that 

 was something he had never worn on his fore feet ; but from all those 

 that I had tried the change upon trotting faster with tijis than when 



