The Principles of Horse-Slioeing. 
135 
In a climate like our own, some substantial hoof-armature must 
have been greatly desired by such an equestrian and chariot- 
driving people as the Ancient British ; and the traditions and 
superstitions which yet cling to horse-shoes and horse-shoeing 
appear to be derived from pre-historic times, when the Druids 
were not only the priests, but the skilled workers in metals — 
the armourers and shoers, who pursued their craft in obscure 
places and caves, each being a kind of Wayland Smith. 
It is somewhat remarkable that these primitive shoes and nails 
are evidence that the farriers of those days had a better notion 
of what was necessary, than many of the more civilised workmen 
of modern times. The shoe is very light, has usually two small 
calks, and three nail-holes on each side, into which fitted six 
very large-headed nails ; so that the horse had eight good pro- 
jections on the surface of each shoe, which ensured an excellent 
foothold with the least possible weight, and without disturbing 
the balance of the limb or position of the foot. 
From that early period until the present time, this most 
important art, which has lent so much aid to civilization by in- 
creasing the usefulness of the horse a thousandfold, has undergone 
many modifications in so far as the shape, weight, and appli- 
cation of the shoe are concerned. But it is greatly to be feared 
that these modifications have not always been to the advantage 
of the horse, or that of his owner. It was a bold, indeed a 
startling conception, to fasten a rim of metal to a horse's hoof by 
means of nails — an invention quite as important as that of the 
wheel ; and the daring but ingenious individual who first 
attempted to protect the foot of the noble animal in this way, 
could have no idea of the service he was rendering his own species. 
But his object was simple. He saw that, if a horse travelled 
much, and particularly on hard roads or during wet weather, 
the hoof was worn away faster than it grew, and that, if the tra- 
velling was continued sufficiently long, lameness resulted. He 
would readily perceive that the part most subject to wear was 
the lower margin of the foot, and if he could firmly attach a 
small piece of some material harder than the horn, and of the out- 
line of the part so exposed, this serious cause of inefficiency would 
be at once got rid of. By his invention success was complete, 
and the horse was transformed from a comparatively useless 
creature into an animal next in importance to man himself in 
promoting civilisation, and without which modern society could 
scarcely exist. 
The primitive shoer knew all that was necessary to be known 
with regard to his craft, and we may surmise that he was more 
of a benefactor to the horse-owners of his time than many of the 
modern farriers generally have been. For the last four or five 
