138 TIPS AND TOE-WEIGHTS. 



be seen that a narrow space is left between the heel of the shoe and 

 the rim of uncut crust to allow of expansion of the foot (a most essen- 

 tial point), and it is in neglecting to pi-ovide for sueh expansion that 

 has caused many to form an unfavorable opinion on what they took 

 to be la systeme Charlier. Now, with regard to tips, by all that is 

 just let them be sunk into the crust, otherwise you destroy that 

 even bearing which it is so desirable to preserve. No matter how 

 thin the heels of the tips are made, there still remains the fact that 

 the heel is not level with the toe. How can it be 1 The whole 

 circle of the foot, whether shod with tips or full Charliers, should be 

 uniformly level, that both heel and toe may take their equal share 

 of pressure at one and the same time. It is nature's own law ; let 

 us not try to improve it, or_ we shall be losers in the end, depend 

 upon it. 



"When I see a set of shoes weighing nearly twenty pounds, and 

 with sufficient iron in the calkings to make a decent set of shoes, I 

 feel ashamed when I say that the wearers ai'e to be found in this, the 

 greatest "horsey" country in the world. Depend upon it, if horses 

 could be given the power of speech, they would call us by names 

 which were not given us at our baptism. Then away with calkings 

 and broad, heavy shoes, and let us give the poor brutes a chance of 

 using to advantage that which natui-e has given them. 



" Snaffle," in last week's Field asks whether there is anything to 

 prevent the crust being cut to receive the shoe the fii'st time of shoe- 

 ing. I will give him M. Charlier's plan. When he had a strong, 

 sound foot to shoe he would sink the shoe level with the inner circle 

 of crust, the second or third time of shoeing, but with a weak one 

 he would work with the growth of the foot. As it improved so 

 Avould he lower the shoe into the crust, and thus by degrees bring 

 the sole, bars, and frog into contact with the ground. Such was the 

 plan of the gi^eat Chai-lier himself, with whom I have spent many 

 happy hours, for he was never tired of endeavoring to show the 

 superiority of his system over every other, and it is only by follow- 

 ing in his footsteps that we can expect to arrive at anything like 

 perfection in the art of shoeing. It would be interesting to know 

 if any of " M. B." horses "forge;" if so, I suspect that is the cause 



