467 
HORSES’ SNOW SHOES. 
BY 
COLONEL C. J. DESHON, D.-S.-O., late R.A. 
Wintering in Norway during 1892-3 (one of the severest seasons ex¬ 
perienced, according to the Aborigines, for the last 30 years) I was sur¬ 
prised to see that people managed to draw their wood and grass through 
the forest, the snow being everywhere about 4 feet deep, in many 
places 6 to 9 feet deep and soft. 
I had proved that a man could not walk away from the main roads, 
on which the snow was packed by much traffic and snow ploughs, 
except on ski (Norsk snow shoes). 
It should be stated that the Norsk petty farmers cut grass on the 
mountains and stack it, near where cut, until the snow allows them to 
use sleighs, there being no roads fit for wheels through the forest and 
over the marsh ground on the lower slopes of the hills up to these 
grass grounds. The sheds near their farms are only large enough to 
hold the grass cut near their farms, this they use first (and they keep 
as many cows and sheep as they can possibly feed shut up in sheds 
from October till May or June). The grass from the mountains has 
thus to be brought down over deep snow. To enable the ponies to 
move over the deep snow, they use snow shoes—which are made of 
plank or withes. 
The wooden shoe is a piece of plank about 12" x 12" x 1" with hole 
cut for front calk of horse shoe (the Norsk horse shoe is fitted with 
huge calks, one at toe and one at each heel), a grummet is so fixed on 
each side of foot place that when a strap passed under grummets and 
over front of hoof is buckled tight, the snow shoe is firmly fixed to the 
foot, yet not so firmly but that, if the pony falls, his struggles can 
liberate his feet—two small battens about 10" x 1" x 1" are placed 
below each snow shoe to prevent slipping. The wicker shoe is a very 
rough article but serviceable. 
Upper view. Lower view. Side view. Front view. 
9. VOL. xx. 
Cl 
