25 



seeing it, reach liiin behind ; this never failed in proilucing the effect of 

 making hini run forward, tili he became habituated to it, and then it might 

 be omitted and the word be frequently used instead. It often happens, 

 >vhen men fail in getting the horse along by pnlling at the head, that they 

 vaise the whip in bis face, which has ahvays the effect of increasiug the 

 dislike and making him run backward, in which Situation he can have no 

 command of the horse, and unable to do any thing further, is fairly beaten. 

 I mention this bttle circumstance to the reader, as the knowledge of it 

 niay, nnder some circunistances, render a journey not perfornied in great 

 haste more agreeable. 



I got to Reading that evening, being abont forty miles from town, with- 

 out suffering inconvenienco, where I slept; tlie roads had began the latter 

 part of the day to get dry again. However, the next morning a heavy 

 thunder shower wetted them again, and in going out of Reading on the 

 stones she was not without Sensation; the wet occasioning the foot to slide 

 about, iucreased the wear, and was inifavorable to her. And amusing 

 niyself on the road with a slow pace I reached Newbury before two 

 o'clock, and on exaniining her, found her toe shortened to a degree 

 that made nie apprehensive ; still she went tolerably well and without 

 much signs of favoring them, so 1 proceeded on my journey : the heels I 

 found had suffered very little, which, as being considered more tender parts 

 one should be led by a priori suggestions to be more apprehensive of ; 

 indeed, I found from this and inany other journies that I made without 

 shoes, that the toe can be worn to a surprising degree of shortness before 

 much tenderness is feit, and the sole at this part 1 have also thought is 

 stronger and harder than at any other part of the foot; the wall at the 

 heels or inflections still projected below the sole. Where the ground was very 

 loose and soft, especially if wet, it appeared to be collected by the concavity 

 of the foot, and a pressure and condensation of itseem determined towards 

 the centre of the foot, supporting the animal, and saving the wear of the 

 hoof; from this focus of pressure in the centre of the foot, I have seen the 

 water collected squirt out with considerable vehemence. The bars 

 or inflections will oppose very usefully a too considerable condensation 

 or pressure against the latteral softer parts of the frog in these cases. 



On leaving Newbury, after dinner, the sharp flint stones of the street 

 made her feel a little ; and after this 1 noticed, that if she trod on a stone in 

 front of the foot, she flinched other wise on the soft sandy roads she still 



