205 
Home Department. 
THE FRENCH METHOD OF SHOEING HORSES. 
[After perusing M. Gourdons condemnation of English 
shoeing as compared with the French, to such of our readers as 
are not acquainted with the practice of the latter some account 
of it may prove acceptable. The following one (which we 
believe to be still in practice) is taken from Goodwins work 
on shoeing horses, which, in its day, obtained for its author 
considerable eclat, and may still be regarded as the best prac¬ 
tical director in the forge *—El). VET.] 
“ The French shoe is, perhaps, rather wider than the com¬ 
mon English shoe. It is convex on the ground side, and 
concave on the foot side, and equally thick throughout It has' 
eight nail-holes at equal distances round the anterior part of the 
shoe; but the last hole on the inside quarter is generally at a 
greater distance from the end of the shoe than the one on the 
outward quarter. The holes are punched with a square counter¬ 
sunk head, deep into the shoe, and at some distance from 
the outward rim; and they are made obliquely, to give the 
point of the nail a direction outward. 
“ On the foot side of the shoe there is a much greater space 
between the nail-holes and the outward edge than in the 
English shoe; and instead of the shoe being straight from toe 
to heel, it is considerably curved at the toe, which is called by 
the French veterinarians ‘ the adjusting balance ’ ( ajusture ). 
“ It has been objected by some persons, that this shape is 
unnatural, because it does not correspond with the form of the 
foal’s foot. But this opinion does not, I think, in any way 
prove it to be so; for the coronet at that age is considerably 
wider than the base of the foot; hence, if such a notion were 
correct, we might expect to see the base smaller than the 
coronet at five years old, when the foot is full grown. 
“ The advantage of the French method of nailing is so very 
superior to the English, and the form of the shoe is so admirable, 
that I cannot conceive, situated, as we are, so near to that 
country, how so superior a system has not long before this 
period been attempted among us ; for we certainly have not 
seen any plan of shoeing which possesses so decided a supe¬ 
riority.” “ Nevertheless,” adds the author in another place, 
“ it may be altered and considerably improved .” P. 203. 
“ The advantage of the manner in which the French nail on 
their shoes will be noticed hereafter. I shall here mention only 
the benefits of the shape of the shoe. 
* A New System of Shoeing Horses, &c. By Joseph Goodwin, late Veteri¬ 
nary Surgeon to His Majesty, and M.R.C.S. 2d. Edition. London, 1824. 
