650 lleport on the Horseshoeing Competition at Nottingham. 
were carried into practice. Owners of horses would, I feel sure, 
be glad to support sucli efforts by giving preference to men so 
instructed, and my own opinion is, that until owners, trainers, 
grooms, jockeys, and all connected with horseflesh, insist upon 
a higher standard of efficiency, the same old routine will con- 
tinue until Doomsday. 
My experience at these shoeing competitions (now extending 
over many years) and inquiry in other quarters lead me to the con- 
clusion that there is much more mischief going on in the country 
in this respect than most people are aware of. The damage is 
not only serious as an agricultural question, but I have every 
reason to believe that to our thoroughbreds this much-neglected 
matter of horse-shoeing is of yital importance. 
It is not quite within my province here to suggest that many 
of our finest racehorses are not unfrequently " most mysteri- 
ously amiss," and " suddenly go wrong," for which the shoeing 
smith is very often responsible, although in many instances he 
is only carrying out the imperative orders of either the trainer 
or jockey or some one in authority, who fancies a newly rasped 
and polished hoof, together with "a nice clean cut frog," will in 
some unaccountable way help to win the race, or at least catch 
the eye of the betting fraternity, and assist to " raise the price." 
If I can secure aid even from this outside interest, by pointing 
out the imjDortance of the shoeing question to them, I trust I 
shall be excused referring thereto in this report. 
Whether they manage these things better abroad than we 
do, I am not prepared to say ; but I observe that a very extensive 
horse-shoeing competition at Brussels has recently taken pJace, 
for which, as I understand, no less than 180 competitors were 
entered. In the regulations of this competitkm the first im- 
portance was attached to the theoretical part of the examination, 
wihe men were not permitted to shoe a horse until they passed 
the veterinary examination. Under such conditions our com- 
petitions would terminate in a summary manner ; yet I am in- 
clined to think we shall improve the character of our trials by 
giving points another year to the competitors in proportion as 
they pass the anatomical examination creditably or otherwise. 
As last year, I must express a hope that the Council will 
now continue in the course so well started, and allow these com- 
petitions to continue annually until some other and better plan 
can be devised, as I think we must acknowledge there is a wide 
field for improvement, and a mass of ignorance and prejudice 
which can only be removed by the judicious application of 
" Practice with Science." 
In conclusion, let me thank the Judges, whose report I j 
