There are three points concerning this important subject on which I should like to thoroughly convince my readers. Firstly, that the theory, sometimes put forward, of dispensing with shoes for horses that are intended to work in paved cities and over rough roads, is a fallacious one; secondly, that the shoeing done at ordinary forges is practically all wrong; and, thirdly, that there is nothing at all derogatory in going down one’s-self to the blacksmith’s, in company with the animal to be shod, and not only giving directions about the way in which it will be most advisable to do it, but standing by to make certain that it is actually done. Common errors among smiths are these; cutting down the frog until it cannot possibly come in contact with the ground; paring the sole, until it is either bedewed with blood, or so thin that the effort to walk on it causes the horse to wince; opening the “bars” which join the frog to the outer wall of the foot; putting on unnecessarily heavy shoes; having a strong predilection in favour of calkins; rasping down the wall of the foot to fit the shoe, instead of making the shoe to fit the foot; and removing too much of the heel horn. These faults proceed, as a rule, more from ignorance than obstinacy, and it would therefore be a good and wise thing if every farrier were to be made thoroughly acquainted with the anatomy of the horse’s foot and leg: he would then perceive what dire mischief he was in reality doing while pursuing the ordinary stereotyped course which his father and grandfather probably followed before him.

To look at this list of errors in review. First of all, the frog should never be interfered with; to pare it with a knife is ruinous; it ought to touch the ground instead of being prevented from doing so: nature intended that it should. It retains the hoof in proper shape at the heels, prevents the tendency to slip, and in fact acts as the natural buffer of the foot, giving it strength, security, and elasticity, while its toughness enables it to travel over the roughest country without shrinking or pain. It wards off concussion, being surrounded by lateral cartilages which may be described as yielding sidewalls, and is the contrivance supplied by nature for preserving the superimposed structures from injury or passing hurt. Cutting into the frog is, I am most firmly convinced, one of the chief causes of thrush, and nothing can more clearly prove this than the fact that diseased and wasted frogs, and thrushes of long and obstinate standing, have been known to become completely cured by the adoption of a proper system of shoeing—one that brought the frog not only near the ground, but actually on it.

Navicular disease, that terror of every horse-owner, is without doubt largely induced by improper shoeing, coupled with the pernicious practice which I am now condemning, of cutting away the frog. This valuable india-rubber-like substance should be jealously guarded, and most carefully preserved from injury or waste; a knife ought no more be allowed to touch it than permitted to penetrate the horse’s eye; perhaps even with greater care ought it to be preserved, for whereas some excellent goers have but one eye to see with, an animal on three legs is of but little use to anybody, except the knacker, into whose hands he is pretty certain soon to fall.

Second on the list of evils comes the paring away of the sole of the foot, and so general is this most unwise operation, that grooms absolutely prepare for it the night before their charges go to the forge, by stopping their feet with cow-dung, or some other horrible dirt. The practice is a cruel, useless, and highly deleterious one, which owners of horses ought not in anywise to encourage or permit.

Third, is the hideous habit of opening up the heels: which means making a deep incision into the wall of the foot at the heel, just where it is bent inward to form the bars. Nothing could possibly be more injurious or injudicious than this detestable operation. It weakens the wall of the foot, and occasions what all horse-fanciers strive to guard against, the evil of contracted heels. The frog, sole, and bars have each a separate and most important duty to perform, and are, if unwisely interfered with, rendered absolutely incapable of contributing to the carrying out of Nature’s exemplary plan.

Fourth, is the custom of putting on shoes that are too clumsy, weighty, and thick. A thin, light shoe is in every respect preferable, the lightness of the metal ensuring a firm foothold, while it likewise brings the foot-proper in closer proximity to the ground.

Fifth, is the strong fancy for calkins,—things which I as strongly decry, except for heavy draught horses, and for those accustomed to trust to their assistance for backing weighty loads. Even where such appendages are acknowledged to be necessary, a toe-piece should be likewise added to the shoe and the forepart slightly thickened, in order to ensure an evenness and steadiness of footing, together with the keeping of the foot in its own natural position. A horse mounted upon calkins without the addition of the toe-piece must feel quite as uncomfortable as a vain belle when mounted upon a pair of tapering high heels.

Another way of preventing injury in the form of contractions from calkins is, to have the shoes forged of even thickness from heel to toe, and then to remove a portion of metal from underneath the quarters. A horse’s real weight is on his toes and heels: nature shows this by weakening the hoofs at the quarters, and the law of mechanics illustrates that if the extremities of any powerful substance are equally and adequately sustained, the absolute body which forms as it were a bridge over the space, may be trusted without support.

Sixth, is a terrible evil: namely, employing the rasp to the outer wall of the foot, in order to bring it down to the size of a shoe that is too small for it. This cruelty is generally perpetrated by farriers who consider themselves too hurried, but are in reality too lazy, to undertake the forging of a properly fitting shoe, and so they lay hands on one that happens to be lying by them, and having affixed it, proceed to cut down the foot to its level. The wretchedness of the animal, when set to walk upon this torturing protector, is precisely like that which we should suffer were our feet to be crushed into boots or shoes that were ever so many sizes too small for them. By this cruel practice the horn of the foot is seriously injured, and months elapse before it resumes its normal shape and condition.

Removing too much of the heel-horn is the seventh evil with which we have to deal. This is a very usual practice, and is strongly calculated to make a temporary cripple of the horse so operated upon. It ought to be remembered that the ground face of the hoof should be even, and justly proportioned from toe to heel, and that the sides of it ought to be of equal depth. There is at times, indeed very often, an excess of horny growth about the toe, but it is impossible to lay down any precise rule with reference to the angle to which the hoof ought to be brought: a competent eye will, however, judge of it, and will be able to decide whether it is in conformity with the natural formation and bearing of the limb.

I have a great fancy for tips—otherwise half-shoes, nailed to the toes only, and leaving both quarters free. I have known one or two young horses shod in this way who have travelled quite safely, and shown wonderfully healthy feet. For racers I particularly approve of them, and for young light-weight hunters, especially when running in a grass country. I am aware that there is a prejudice against them, except for animals that are for awhile thrown up, but it is an entirely ignorant one, and ought to be discarded. The late Duke of Wellington was especially fond of tips, and for a long while rode his horses with no other kind of foot-covering. He was at length, however, induced to give it up, as he suffered torment from persons perpetually informing him that his hack had cast a shoe. I have from time to time been shown an immense variety of india-rubber shoes, together with other novel kinds too numerous to mention, and to all of them have found some grave faults. Lyons has, however, lately produced a new specimen, which has been experimented with upon French horses in a manner somewhat successful. It is made entirely of sheep’s horn, and is said to be particularly adapted to such animals as are known not to be steady-footed when going over pavements. It is, moreover, excessively light and very durable—two excellent qualities—and although at present somewhat more expensive than the ordinary shoe, it will no doubt come down in price when the novelty wears off, and will in all probability replace the present style before the world is many years older. For horses employed in towns it must be peculiarly valuable, as it is said to be an effectual check against slipping.