HOW HORSES WERE SHOD 



ever remember : there are a few exceptions on the other 

 side but the vast majority goes to support what I 

 have said. 



There is a good trainer in France, Eugene Leigh. 

 I am quite sure his father never saw a horse, and yet 

 what the son doesn't know about them is scarcely 

 worth learning. One thing is pretty certain, that if 

 the modern school of training had not been introduced 

 by W^ishard and a few of his contemporaries racing 

 would have remained where it was, and would have 

 been left to a few gamblers to control ! 



When I first visited France I couldn't help noticing 

 how little horses were understood by some trainers. 

 In fact I was astounded. Purely from lack of care 

 were animals suffering from thrush and the foot 

 disease. The treatment was little luiderstood. Then 

 again hardly anything was known of a horse's mouth. 

 Tliey had then no implements for the floating and 

 decaping of horses' teeth, and it was only after some 

 persuasion I got them to procure these appliances. 

 Since then Joe Marsh has done a great deal in the way 

 of looking after horses' mouths. He is a witch doctor 

 with teeth. 



Tlie shoes too worn by horses at that time weighed 

 from 1 lb. to Ij lbs. on each foot. Blacksmiths did 

 not even know how to trim properly the foot of a 

 race-horse, and when I got hot about it and recom- 

 mended the adoption of the American system the 

 Frenchmen thought it would be too big a change from 

 what had alwaj^s been the rule on the French turf. 

 France owes a great deal to American trainers. For- 

 tunately it can be said that many Anglo-Frenchmen 

 have had the sense to alter their methods. 



The extraordinary changes brought in by Americans 

 caused the charge of doping being levelled against them. 



117 



