THE HORSE 



153 



it is also very likely that he employed 

 them to throw dust into the eyes of 

 the spectators. For the rest, his treat- 

 ment was very violent and aimed at 

 breaking the animal's will and de- 

 stroying all power of resistance. 



To subdue an unruly horse (which 

 has often been made unruly by ill 

 usage), as well as to train them at 

 all times, inexhaustible patience and 

 an immovable will are absolutely 

 necessary, and they ne\'er fail to 

 make the animal do what is desired. 

 Unfortunately not every man who has 

 the care of horses will see or learn 

 this truth. The horse, it should be re- 

 membered, has certain distin2;uishin!f 



qualities. 



Coming In 



hand and guidance 



Having been under the 

 man from generation to generation 

 (far more than any other animal), he 

 is by nature docile ; he also has 

 a strong memory and is very sub- 

 missive to the power of habit. 



X. Shoeing 



One of the most important points 

 in the care of horses is their shoeing. 

 Wild horses, it is true, can go with- 

 out irons on their feet ; but it is not 

 so with our domestic animals, be- 

 cause, in the first place, their hoofs 

 are not so hard, and in the second 

 place, because our stony roads are 



Cleaning Him 



e\'idently not so favorable to them as the 

 grassy ground of the steppes and prairies. 



Shoeing must therefore be regarded as a 

 necessary evil, for evil it is. By driving nails 

 into the hoof holes are made through which dirt 

 and disease may enter, while the hoof, which 

 has a natural tendency to disintegrate, becomes 

 weaker and less resistant. In order to avoid 

 this injury many methods have been invented 

 to apply the iron shoes without having rec(jurse 

 to nails, but no satisfactory result has yet been 

 attained, and we are still constrained to keep 

 to the old system. 



To lessen the shock of the hoof on a hard 

 road and to protect the frog, various soft cov- 

 erings have been used, the best known of 

 which are India rubber, felt, tow, and cork. 



Before Critics 



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