CHAPTER XIIL 



English Ideas of Horse-Shoeing — Tips and Charlier Shoes, 



Having preserved a few copies of the Field, the great English 

 authoi-ity in matters pertaining to breeding domestic animals, stable 

 management, etc., containing short articles on shoeing, with the in- 

 tention of incorporating them in " Tips and Toe-Weights," a portion 

 of them is given here. These were published in January and Feb- 

 ruary, 1881, and the views in places are so similar to those which 

 we made public some seven years ago, that it was veiy gratifying to 

 find them con'oborated. The Charlier method is simply an improve- 

 ment on the Goodenough system, which the author introduced into 

 England nearly twenty years ago, the improvement consisting of re- 

 stricting the metal to the width or rather thickness of the wall or 

 crust of the hoof, and using a much lighter shoe. Then it is put on 

 with a much greater degree of nicety, the horn only bekig cut away 

 where the metal takes its place. 



Should there be any necessity for a full shoe, this is assuredly a 

 better plan than incumbering the foot with a load of iron, unless 

 there is proof that weight on the heel is a requisite for fast trotting. 

 Although we are not yet prepared to say authoritatively that weight 

 is not needed on the posterior portion of the foot, all of the experi- 

 ments so far have led to the belief that it can be dispensed with. 

 Thei-e may be horses which will be benefited by weight on the pos- 

 terior part of the foot, and if so, a properly made bar-shoe will be 

 the kind to use. We are satisfied that the bar, or round shoe, owes 



