176 
EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS. 
the animal’s weight, receives itself support from the arch of the 
shoe, which everywhere lies upon or against it, constituting 
a very important following-up of nature ; and one which is 
attended with this advantage, that, since there is no, or next 
to no, interval between the sole and shoe, there is no space 
for such a force as suction to operate in drawing the shoe off 
from the foot. Indeed, from the close setting of this shoe to 
the foot, five nails will hold it as fast as six or seven will a 
shoe of an opposite description ; thereby not merely saving 
nails (which is trifling) but less imprisoning the foot. 
The objection urged by many to the concave shoe is, that 
it is apt to lame the horse; and, were it put upon a foot 
pared out or prepared in the way hoofs in general are for 
ordinary shoes, there can be no doubt whatever but that 
lameness would be an occasional consequence ; since, such 
paring or “ preparation” as the foot then obtains, renders 
the sole so tender or sensitive to compression, bruises, &c., 
that it really cannot bear the contact of the shoe. But, leave 
the sole unpared — remove no horn from it, save what is in 
the act of exfoliation , and would, were it not removed, 
soon fall away of itself, — and then the concave shoe will be 
borne with impunity. 
The only sole that admits of being taken away by the farrier 
is dead horn, such as nature herself casts off because it has served 
its purpose ; what remains (at least ought to remain) is live 
elastic sole, and by the dead sole upon it is kept elastic to that 
degree that it answers every purpose of the action of the foot 
without calling at any time for any necessity for stopping : 
another very important consideration. Thus the old sole 
(like a leathern sole, and better than it) not only operates as 
a defence to the part against all nocuous substances, such as 
flint-stones and pieces of glass bottles, &c. but keeps the pores 
of the horn closed up, and thus preserves the juices, and so 
the elasticity of the foot. 
Another objection urged against the concave shoe is, that 
it cannot be made by all farriers or shoeing-smiths. But 
this is a mere chimera : it is no reality. Men in the habit of 
making them will fabricate concave shoes with as much readi- 
