THE CIIARLIEll HORSE-SHOE. 
353 
bridling, feeding, and grooming his horse, quite unconcerned 
as to whether other people believe in his method or not. 
At present the ideas about horse-shoeing are in a state of 
complete muddle. Authorities are to be found for the most 
contradictory assertions. It is stated, for instance, that the 
foot expands at the ground surface, and, on the contrary, 
that it contracts; that the frogs should touch the ground, 
and that they will not bear the least pressure; that shoes 
should be as light as possible, and as heavy as the horse can 
bear them ; that the iron should be concave next the sole, 
and, in direct opposition, that the concavity should be at the 
ground surface; that the hoof should seldom be touched by 
knife or rasp, and that it should be well pared, to counteract 
the effects of excessive grow^th owing to the absence of natural 
wear. In short, we have contrived to get into a maze, and 
there is no central veterinary society to appoint a commission 
to show us the way out. 
The Charlier system of shoeing having made some con¬ 
siderable noise in France, and having been somewhat exten¬ 
sively adopted by omnibus companies, it was important to 
decide, by reference to the results of experience, upon the 
merits and demerits of the plan; accordingly, the Imperial 
Veterinary Society in July, 1866, appointed a commission, 
consisting of MM. Leblanc, Bouley, Rossignol, Villate, 
Benjamin, Mathieu, Poncet, and subsequently M. Weber in 
place of one member deceased. These gentlemen commenced 
their labours with the conviction that the present system of’ 
horse-shoeing leaves much to be desired; that the shoes are 
generally too heavy, too thick, and altogether unnecessarily 
large. There are few workmen who possess, in the opinion 
of the commission, the requisite skill to apply shoes in such 
a manner as to preserve the integrity of the feet and firmness 
of the animaFs action. The commission did not limit its 
observations to the horses of the General Omnibus Company, 
under the direction of M. Signol, who adopts what he calls 
the PeriplantaP^ system of shoeing, but also inspected 
those of the Western Railway Company, under the direction 
of M. Lemor, wdio, together with M.^ Signol, offered every 
aid to the members. 
Respecting the Periplantar system of shoeing horses, the 
commission states that it is a modification of the method 
w'hich M. Charlier introduced to the notice of the Imperial 
Society on August 10th, 1865, and of which he subsequently 
admitted the practical impossibility. The commission con¬ 
siders the deep channel which was to be cut round the outer 
edge of the crust of the hoof, to admit the w^ole thickness of 
