40 Stable Management and the Prevention of Disease 



The shoes of the average-sized riding-horses weighed about 

 eight ounces, and those of the largest Australian wheelers 

 not more than from fifteen to seventeen ounces. 



Light shoes, although they may not last absolutely as long 

 as heavy ones, seem to wear less in proportion to their thick- 

 ness; the reason probably being that the horses do not put 

 down their feet with such violence as when the weight of 

 the shoe is considerably greater. 



It is easy to calculate the enormous amount of muscular 

 exertion which is saved in a day's march by a few ounces 

 weight being taken off the end of each limb. Supposing for 

 instance that each shoe is four ounces heavier than it need be, 

 the horse at every pace raises one pound more than is necessary 

 off the ground. If he takes thirty paces in a minute, the weight 

 lifted will be 1,800 pounds every hour. As battery horses 

 usually march at an average rate of about four miles an hour, 

 every one in a march of ten miles will raise more than two tons 

 unnecessarily to a height of some inches from the ground, and 

 this weight not in the most advantageous position — such as 

 on the animal's back — but at the end of the limbs, where the 

 mechanical disadvantage of moving it is great. As only a 

 certain amount of muscular force can be obtained from a cer- 

 tain quantity of food, it is evident that a horse working as 

 above described either exhausts himself unnecessarily or eats 

 more food than would be necessary if he were shod with 

 lighter shoes. Thus the weight of the shoes in a long and 

 hard march may have a marked influence upon the condition 

 of the horses. 



Of course, there are some horses with thin, flat soles and 

 low, weak heels, that absolutely require heavy shoes, not to 

 stand wear, but to diminish the concussion between the feet 

 and the roads ; still, I am convinced that shoes both in India 

 and England are often made far too heavy for average 

 horses. 



Native Shoeing. 



The shoes applied to private horses by the native shoeing- 

 smiths, called nalbands, are roughly made, and fastened with 



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