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with this art, and are most often above all kiiid of instruction. Although 

 one should rather desire, if this art should ever be perfected, that arti- 

 ficers inaking- this brauch ofwork their proper eniploy should be scattered 

 in towns and villagcs, and who unaffectedly, and according to good sense 

 and sound reasön should do their business in this respect, usefuUy assisting 

 the equestrian in difficult cases, or whenever needful. And I have soine- 

 times thought vvhether the heavy horned cattle in their long jouruies from 

 the North to Sniithtield, might not be defended also on the sanie simple 

 principle, so as to save thein the dreadfal sufferings they often undergo, 

 obliged to march on their naked tender bleeding flesh, from the loss of 

 their hoofs, or from their being worn through ; such things are often seen 

 in the roads leading to the Metropolis, so that it is a remarkable fact, that 

 while one poor animal is suffering from being overshod, if I may use the 

 expression, the other suffers almost as much, from not being shod at all. 



This invention I have called The Paratrite* to distinguish it from other 

 modes of defence, as well as to remove the slavish and mysterious 

 notions which attach to the term Shoeing when applied to horses. 



Its principle is founded upon the circumstance of the wall of the hoof 

 being of a cylindrical form, as we have before explained, so this defence 

 embracing a part or portion of the exterior of the cylinder is made 

 to pass underneath and by upright teeth passing within it, to embrace 

 the interior also, and by this means is held on. Itis a material conside- 

 ration in the use of this defence, and has been a circumstance before 

 noticed, that the line of wear is worn away three times faster than any 

 Other part of the hoof, so this defence defending this portion, euables it 

 to perform three times the work it is capable of in the natural state of the 

 hoof, which is sufficient for niany useful purposes; and we may add that 

 two or more of these shields may be applied, and the defence on the 

 same principle carried ronnd the whole, or any part of the hoof. 



A figure of this defence is seen at Plate 3, Fig. 1, on the hoof, where 

 the upright part, a, which we call The Heimet, lies in contact with, and 

 is closely fitting the onter surface of the Wall; and the three claws, h, c, d, 

 Fig. 2, grapple with the interior surface of it, passing deeply into the hörn - 

 of the sole, or between it and the wall, but short of its thickness, so as 

 not to endanger wounding the foot. It is simply driven on the hoof by 



* From Paia, advertm, oragainat; and tero, trivi, tritum, to nib or wear. 



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