REVIEW — THE HORSE’S FOOT. 
293 
which is sure to enlarge the size of the holes; and this mischief is 
often increased by the violent wrenching the shoe undergoes from 
side to side in the process of removal by the smith. 
“ Now as these holes cannot possibly grow down, and be re- 
moved under three shoeings, it will be found that, even with seven 
nails, the crust must always have twenty-one of these separations 
existing in it at the same time ; and as they are often, from a va- 
riety of causes, extended into each other, they necessarily keep it 
in a brittle unhealthy state, and materially interfere with the 
security of the future nail-hold. Unluckily, the common practice 
under such circumstances is to increase the number of nails, with 
the view of ensuring the security of the shoe, while, on the con- 
trary, it increases the evil. My object is to shew that these shaky 
places, as they are called, may be relieved by the omission of one 
or two of the nails, without endangering the security of the shoe. 
Suppose the number employed to be seven ; to gain such an end 
they might be safely reduced to five, which is the largest number 
I have employed for more than a year; and until I discover some 
good reason for increasing it, it is the largest I intend to employ. 
But I am far from advising the general adoption of this number ; 
for if — from neglect of removing in proper time, or of knocking 
down the clenches, should they rise, or any other cause — the horse 
should chance to cast a shoe, the whole blame would be attributed 
to the five nails ; and the poor beast, in all probability, be doomed 
to eight or nine'for the remainder of his life. I do, however, very 
strongly advise the adoption of six, knowing them to be fully suf- 
ficient for retaining the shoes of all pleasure horses under all cir- 
cumstances, except, perhaps, hunters. If I had entertained the 
smallest doubt about their efficiency, it would have been entirely 
removed on the arrival of the 13th Light Dragoons last year in 
Exeter ; for among the horses of that regiment I found — through 
the kindness of Lieut. Col. Brunton, who allowed me to inspect the 
shoeing — the strongest possible confirmation of the truth of my 
position ; for here were horses with every variety of feet shod with 
six nails only, and these all placed in the outside limb and toe of 
the shoe, all the remainder of the shoe remaining free and unat- 
tached to the foot. Mr. Legrew, the very intelligent veterinary 
surgeon of the regiment, informed me that he had not employed 
more than six nails for nearly two years, and that the loss of a shoe 
was a very rare occurrence with them, even on a field day, than 
which there is scarcely any work more trying to the security of 
horses’ shoes. Any mode of fastening, that has proved itself equal 
to retaining the shoes through a long field day, in stiff ground, 
may very safely be recommended as fully sufficient for all ordinary 
purposes.” 
