134 



TIPS AND TOE-WEIGHTS. 



previously, but no doubt inadequately, endeavored to explain, arises 

 from the fact that the closely hammered steel Charlier shoe, with road 

 work, quickly wears thin at the toe, when its tendency is to spread 

 out at the heels ; and, unless where and so far as it is actually held 

 in place by the nails, to extend towards the heel beyond the dimen- 

 sions of the hoof— with the consequent danger of cutting the fetlock 

 of the other leg in action, or of pulling off the shoe, by offering it as 

 a projecting flange to catch and hold to the ground when the horse 

 takes his foot out of dirt. 



1 also tried to convey my opinion that there is no disadvantage in 

 thus using any reasonable number of nails for the purpose ; and I 

 confess that, notwithstanding "Mustang's" explanations that the 

 " crust is composed of fibers running parallel from the coronet down- 

 wax'ds," such is my opinion still. For in the same way our finger 

 nails are composed of fibers running parallel from the quick downwards; 

 and yet the quick is unaffected by the number of small holes which may 

 be carefully drilled into the projecting ends, so long as they do not 

 cause splitting or injury upwards. The Charlier shoe, being itself ex- 

 cessively narrow, necessitates that the nails used in fastenincr it on 

 should be driven correspondingly near to the edge of the insensible 

 semicircular wall or crust— so near, indeed, that the growth of a 

 healtliy hoof enables the margin, which had served as the receptacle 

 of the row of nails at one shoeing, to be altogether done away with 

 by the rasp at the next monthly shoeing or removal, as the case may 

 be. But as I have already intimated, the whole system of the Char- 

 lier shoeing involves more delicacy of manipulation, and a finer and 

 more highly wrought kind of nails into the bargain. 



SUAVITER IN MODO. 



Sir, — Were it not for the knowledge that your liberality in open- 

 ing the columns of The Field to such an extended discussion on 

 horse shoeing has been attended with an immediate and practical 

 effect, I should not have presumed to trespass on your space with 

 another letter ; but as I am aware that five of my hunting acquaint- 

 ances are having their horses shod a la Charlier, and that three 



