PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. 



The inauguration of the law requiring horseshoers to be ex- 

 amined emphasizes the need of a brief and easily understood 

 text-book on theoretical and practical horseshoeing. At the re- 

 quest of the Royal Veterinary Commission, in charge of the Royal 

 Veterinary School in Dresden, and many interested individuals, 

 I have attempted to meet this need by condensing within the 

 narrowest possible limits all that is essential to the horseshoer 

 in the practice of his profession. The subject-matter has been 

 cast into a logically arranged course of instruction ; all that is 

 superfluous and is found only in exhaustive treatises on shoeing 

 has been omitted. 



In order to make this elementary text-book more easy to under- 

 stand, numerous instructive illustrations have been incorporated, 

 which were taken partly from " Der Fuss des Pferdes," by Lei- 

 sering & Hartmann, fifth edition, Dresden, 1882 ; partly from the 

 journal Der Hufschmied, and partly from drawings made specially 

 for this work. 



With the desire that this little book may find many friends 



and supply them with valuable information, it is herewith given 



to the public. 



The Author. 

 Dresden, September, 1884. 



