FRAGMENTA.

1. The establishment of a Veterinary College in this
country, was a noble attempt at improving the knowledge of
the horse and assisting the arts and commerce that greatly
depended upon his labors. The French had led the way in
the cultivation of this species of knowledge, but, excepting
a few books on anatomy, had not proceeded far in the know-
ledge of the shoeing or diseases, and our unfortunate college
experienced this, as the works of its professors sufficiently
attest. We are now upon more solid ground, and the ad-
vances are not imaginary, but real, for the horses are going
better almost universally, and are not so often lost by
disease.

The old principle of shoeing, was to take care to fix them on
as tight as possible, to secure them from coming off; the new
principle since the discovery of the elastic principle is to give
them all the liberty possible consistent with their security, and
this it is found can be done by leaving four fifths of the inner
limb free from nails and at liberty, by which the horse goes
freer in his action and pleasanter to himself, and his life is

extended by it many years. A figure of this shoe is seen
Essay on Expansion Shoeing, p. 6, fig. 2. And it must be
obvious to every reflecting mind that a soft elastic furch or
frog would not have been given, if the foot had not been de-
signed for very wise purposes to be elastic, and yielding to
the weight and burthen brought upon it.*

In every land there should be schools for the education of
the horse, and also for the instruction of the man in the
use of him. And horse racing introduced here by the Stuarts
is of all cruelties inflicted on these worthy animals the worst.
Betting in the small way in the streets is thought a crime,
and is punished, but betting for thousands in the large way
on the race course, is thought very glorious 1 These rending
life struggles of these worthy creatures is perhaps the great-
est cruelty than animal existence permits. His instruction
and education is simple when rightly undertaken, but at
times requires a little patience with a wayward subject. As
we have erected a noble school in England for the due con-
sideration and study of the horse, we hope it will not be
suffered to be frittered away and lost again to serve the in-
terested purposes of men who had no hand in its formation.

It is a most important and interesting fact also in regard to
the shoeing, that the shoe should not bear upon the heels, as
it makes the horse go insecure and fumbling, see the illustra-
tion of this by experiment at p. 11 of the Stereoplia.

And we may also add, that any one making experiments on
shoeing, should not fail to ride the horse he shoes, or he will
never know the exact effects of it. We may make this re-
mark the more impressively, as the smiths ignorantly say
they lay the shoes on the inflexions, in order to render them
more steady, a takeing but foolish suggestion, as the 7 nails do

* viz To avoid all jar and repercussion

this efficiently without it, and these heels or inflexions being
carried under the foot to the center of impression of the limb
are the more easily bruised, and then are absurdly called
by the smiths corns, forsooth, and many a fine young horse
has been thus abused by the very first shoeing.

Indeed after a long and painful consideration of the diffi-
culties of the subject, we are brought to the unexpected con-
clusion�that in order to shoe safely and scientifically, we
ought never to lay the iron on or bring it in contact with
the heels or inflexions at all, but to leave a clear space be-
tween the iron and the hoof, of the sixteenth of an inch, and
not touching the horn, that we may be well assured no in-
jury can arise that can affect these tender parts, occasioning
by a slight degree a rupture of the blood vessels, and redness
of the parts, and in a greater degree, inflammation and sup-
puration, and those terrible disasters artfully termed corns ;
and we shall thus remove a thousand offences in different
degrees against those tender points, which many of them
without advancing to a suppuration, are annoying the horse
in an undefinable degree, which notwithstanding his great
patience and courage in bearing pain, cannot fail to be ex-
pressed in some degree by his action. For it is true that
bruises are a very prevailing case, suppurated or not suppur-
ated as it may be, which might all be removed by the above
suggestion and thus render a great blessing to the horse, and
also to mankind in the use of him.

Also the idea of steadying the shoe by laying it on the heels
should be entirely removed from the view of the workman
conveying error and leading to such a serious mass of evils.

As there is no name at present for these, but too frequent
and abominable injuries, and as we are obliged always in

speaking of them to use utterly false and delusive terms, so
we should be led to propose something more distinctive and
appropriate, as Contusiones, Ferrimala or in simply speaking
fermals, and thus do away a deal of mystery, confusion, am-
biguity and misconception, and greatly benefit the art.

The vast uncertainty in the performance of the best race
horses is a subject of frequent lamentation with betting
sportsmen, and which in a great degree we believe to be
owing to the grievous effects of the ironing of their feet;
never performed twice alike, for I will not now call it by the
delusive name of shoeing, its real effects upon the foot we
have honestly pourtrayed in the Hipponomia, and if cats
have been born without tails after having this member am-
putated for a few generations, and the Chinese feet, are said
to become smaller than the rest of mankind by the unremitted
constant prsesure, we think it not assuming too much to im-
agine, that the horse suffering by this vile ironing through
hundreds of generations has lost the full comforts and spread
of this natural organ, which only could be restored by many
successive generations of full liberty for life of this important
organ. What infernal inflictions indeed are imposed on this
most suffering, kind, forgiving, worthy, generous and most
useful of animals ! !

2. A VIEW of the Tribes of which THE HORSE is a
member viz. the Equida, taken chiefly from Martin and
Moorcroft, in the Asiatic Researches, and Owen in the
Philosophical Transactions and others.

The Equid(E can be divided into 3 families, according to
Edward Gray, viz. Equus, Asinus, and Hippotigris.

Genus. 1. Equus Mane and Tail long, full and flowing,
a projecting callous of horn inside all 4 legs.

1. Var the Curvidem of Owen, found by Clausen in
Brazil, whether an accidental variety or distinct, uncertain.

2. Nanus or Hippotherium described by Kaup.

3. Himmalayan variety discovered by Cautley, also by
Captain Beechy, in North America.

4. The Baskier Horse, bearded like a Goat.
Karakoom and Tarpan,on the Northern frontier of China,

Darwin also describes the Gran. Secco horse, hunting on the

river Parana, See Descr. of Australasia

Genus. II. Asinus. Tail naked except the extremity,

mane thin, callous on the fore legs only.

var. a. Onager of the Romans. The Koulan or Wild Ass,
The Lalisia of Martial, eaten as a delicacy when
quite young. It is the Dzegzetai of Tartary, and the
Yotaze of Colonel Smith, seen in Chinese Tartary,
and probably only the wild descendant of the
former.

Genus. III. Hippotigris or the Striped Horses: The

1. Zebra, 2, Burchel's do.,

3. Quagga of the Cape, or Dau extending thence into
CafTraria, to the Mosambique, Congo, and up into
Abyssinia, says Udel. The troppical quagga of
JSennar and Cutch has a dark dorsal line.
The Ghorkhier of Elphinstone, Kiang of Moorcroft, of
the old ass of Arabia Petrea, of Burchardt,

3. One of the greatest hinderances and drawbacks to the
spread and advancement of useful knowledge and practice
respecting the horse and his invaluable services, is the con-
tinual influx of ignorant, uninstructed men from all parts of
the country into this large city, who as the custom is, are ad-
mitted into our forges, without the least inquiry as to their
competence for the delicate operation of ironing the horses
foot, or helping in the various surgical and medical offices,
that his services renders at times necessary. And often in
proportion to their ignorance is their stubborness and conceit,
and when you have got a little the better of these difficulties
by instruction afforded, you are perhaps suddenly left, and
again the same difficulty occurs.

It certainly would be a wise measure in a rich country like
this, to have a school for teaching the neccessary prelimin-
aries for people engaged in this important pursuit, with ex-
aminations and attestations of their capability in this respect
that when a man hires them, and receives them into his
forge, he may be at some certainty of the article he engages.
More mischief than the public dream of, is done for want of
these precautions, what man would be allowed to go on board
ship or in the army, to act as a doctor, without some enquiry
or testimony of his fitness, for these men often supply the
office of the master in his absence. A cheap, easy license
after examination would stop all this, and an admitted com-
petent performer would ensure better wages.

It is not many months ago I was standing by chance, at
a shoeing forge, near the Foundling Hospital, when I saw a
fine young horse, with a beautiful fresh foot, and a green-
horn with one deliberate slice of his drawing knife remove
half the horn on one side of the furch, and then the other. I

turned away revolted at the proceeding, for had I remonstrated
I should, I knew get only abuse in return and have been told
how impossible it was that ] could know anything about these
intricate affairs of horses, that it is high time measures
were taken to prevent such scenes as these, as we shall have
further remarks to make by and by on the abuse of the
drawing knife, we desist from further hints at present. We
cannot however help suggesting that some spare nook or
corner, or apartment of the noble Veterinary Establishment
might be most usefully appropriated for the licence and ex-
amination of country individuals, desirous of occupying
themselves with the labors of the forge, of their fitness for
such occupation, and not permit every one who pleases, to
cut and hack their feet about at their simple apprehension,
and pleasure as at present.

I now taking advantage of the fragmentary formula I set
out with, introduce to the readers attention another often
domestic favorite.

4. The CAT. frequently the affectionate and delightful
companion of young and old, and sometimes of those whom
the world does not congenially harmonize with and cherish,
these worthies are fed, especially in large towns and cities,
chiefly on horse flesh obtained from the slaughter houses,
supplied conveniently at the door by small indigent traders
whose sole occupation it is, and after a time owing to the
solidity of the meat, they become heated and feverish by it,
it then flies to the skin which becomes hot and looses its hair
in patches, and at length rough and mangy, This state of
things we find to be removed by changing the food to lights,

or lungs, which appears designed their appropriate food, as
they are very fond of it, and prefer it to any other; the flesh,
bones, and often liver, are being left for the dogs. By feed-
ing them less plentifully and dressing their diseased skins
with lard, and an occasional touch with the end of a tallow
candle, to encourage the growth of the hair, the disease
disappears pretty quickly, especially if dressed daily, for the
lard is soon absorbed or flies off. A little flowers of sulphur
added to the lard, we have thought assisted its action.

5. I believe I was the first to notice, at least that I am
acquainted with, the apparent law of the distribution of the
internal viscera and contents of the chest and abdomen of
animals, their being arranged according to the law of their
gravity, thus the liver the weightiest of the lot, was placed
nearest the center of gravity, in the central or middle place
of the animal,between the hind and fore legs,and the stomach,
ever varying in its weight next it, the kidnies and intestines
and the lungs also being very light are disposed at either end
or extremity of the body, thereby favoring all lateral or
circular movements of the body. The advantages of which
arrangement will be obvious, and which disposition would
not be so striking on view of an erect or perpendicular animal
as a man, and which may have caused the fact not to have been
noticed that we know of before, The circumstance is vastly
more visible in the contemplation of the section of the entire
body.

6. With regard to Shoeing of the Horse or defending the
foot with iron, as the part so treated is a living sentient
part, so the operation of doing this may in some degree
come under the designation of a Surgical operation, and
therefore requiring anatomical knowledge of the organization
about to be so treated, influencing essentially its future ex-
istence. Now this has hitherto never been thought of, but
the object in view has been to defend it against the wear
of the road at any cost of its structure and laws, now a more
reasonable view is taken of one of its essential properties,
viz, its accomodating Elasticity, and which taken into the ac-
count, makes the shoeing become quite a different matter from
merely enclosing any rough body with a circling band of
iron. Therefore the operator to be properly equipped for this
service, should as far as respects the organ he is dealing
with, become an intelligent anatomist, and then, and not
till then, will he perfectly succeed in his undertaking, and
with this knowledge will his art rise in usefulness and
respect, and his occupation be rewarded with more honor and
more wages, at least so it is to be hoped. Though in this
respect it is not much to be complained of at present when
compared with the wages of other similar artificers.

Now the business of the Shoeing artificer should be to con-
sidei the real structure and nature of the living organ he is
practicing upon, before he is permitted to drive a nail into it
and closely embrace it with his iron bondage,so as not to offend
against the fundamental principles of the foot, and then find-
ing mischevous effects resulting from it to cut and slash away
necessary parts under pretence of relieving it, but in reality
making bad worse, for want of understanding its general
laws and structure.

On the Rarey System of Horse Taming.

7. We hail with pleasure anything coming from this new
born land of America, unencumbered as it is with the tumors,
incrustations and impediments usually thrown in the way of
advancing knowledge by old governments and laws. How-
ever it is not to be expected that all will be good that proceeds
thence, without some degree of pruning and setting to rights,
as being too wild for immediate adoption. How earnestly we
wish the noble example of the founder of Pensylvania may be
kept always in view by this people, who nobly refused to re-
ceive the gift of the land of Pensylvania, though given him
for a debt, till he had satisfied the natives of the land by a
solemn treaty and purchase.

The present performance of Rarey is brought before the
public by one enamoured of his system, if such it may be
called, by a fox hunting squire, a writer on horse subjects
for the newspapers, a school not very much entertained by
the public for this species of investigation. In the first place
we must seriously object to the very title which is rendering
injustice to the horse, making him a sort of wild beast that
stands in need of being tamed. Instead of which we hold him
from his natural inoffensive disposition to require nothing of
the sort, but has been most kindly delivered to our hands by a
merciful Creator, neither wild normischevous, but onlyrequir-
ing a little gentle breaking in, or education, without any pu-
nishing him or injuring him, to become the docile, faithful,
laborious, ready helpmate of man, that could be possibly
desired.

His education we hold should consist of gaining his friend-
ship and confidence by gentle measures, and not by deceiving

him and punishing him by throwing him down and fright-
ening him, and grievously sweating him, and accompanied
with all sorts of fears and apprehensions.

The most noble of dispositions we know, may be subdued by
extreme punishment and severity, but is this the way to
make a loving, obedient slave, that should have pleasure in
giving satisfaction to all reasonable demands, and in return
for it receiving kindness and rewards.

Better works than this exist and should have been con-
sulted by this writer for the Newspapers, as for instance,
Beringer's second edition on the Horse, copied into Rees's
Cyclopoedia, and again copied in Clark's works on the bits of
horses, which far transcends every suggestion in this volume.
Treachery of all kinds we believe to a noble animal of this
description should be avoided,and the obtaining his love and
confidence should be our chief aim, by patient sedulous mea-
sures, which it is not our business here to reiterate, and as
to Beringer and some others of whose labours we cannot
suppose him entirely ignorant, but of which there is not even
a mention, and, indeed, as a system of general Horse Breaking
it is almost useless, and inferior to works we already
possess on the subject.

The latter half of the volume is filled wholly concerning
his fox hunting affairs, without one word about the taming
business.

As to these extremely obstinate cases, they, we believe, nine
times out of ten, where owing to their being set about im-
properly, by violence, or ill fitted and ill adjusted apparatus
offending and causing objection and not being judiciously met
and attended to and removed, occasioned the rebellion and
untowerdness that was so much complained of.

8. On Drawing Knives. The only article a country
shoeing smith has to equip himself with, in order to present
himself at the door of the shoeing forge for employment, is
the said drawing knife, and soon he lets you know what it
can do.

The public but little dream of the mischief that is being
done to their horses bv that wretched instrument, which we
sincerely believe in the present state of the art, ought to be
forbidden, and banished from the shoeing forge, and all re-
movals of superfluous growth be done by the rasp alone,
such after sixty years experience in the forge, is our sincere
belief. If there are portions of exfolating sole that adhere
from the motionless state of the arch of the sole, from the
firm nailing on both its sides, such can be loosened and pulled
away by any common blade or pocket knife, without the aid
of any drawing knife, and as to the over growth of the wall,
the sharp rasp is the properest instrument for its removal.

The chips also from the cutting of the hoof, sold for a trifle
to the workers in steel, ought to be the perquisite of the
masters, and not of the men, inducing delabrations mische-
vous and unnecessary to the great injury of the horses, and
little advantage to any one. The foot trimmed close and un-
duly rasped on the outside deprived of its defensive coat from
the air dries and pinches, and adds to the general discomfit-
ure of the animal, whose foot cannot be left in too nearly its
natural state.

However, notwithstanding our horror and aversion to the
drawing knife, from a long period of witnessing its abuses, we
must at last admit the necessity of its presence in the shoeing
forge for the curvature part at its extremety is indispensibly
requisite for the removing horn, when we search deep for the

for the presence of pusunder the horn, from the pressure of
nails driven too close to the quick, or have bent in their
course towards the flesh ; as also in bleeding the circular
vein of the foot, or in the removal of cracks in the hoofs from
uneven shoes, or the rasping the very useful flinty rind off,
its proper defence from the air, and from its drying and
pinching. So that we are compelled at all hazards to retain
these knives in the forge at present.

When I look back to the period of my commencing these
studies sixty years ago, the vile buttriss was in universal use
for cutting a wide, deep notch in the heels, to widen and
make them fly open, as they said, but which in reality by
weakening the frame of the hoof, made it only contract the
faster, this weapon is nowwholely disused, and the business
scarification left to the drawing knife alone. People then
indeed were so subdued by their mishaps and troubles, with
their horses, that they hardly dared call in question whatever
the grooms and the smiths declared to be right.

These were the palmy days for the forge and the stable,
and nicking, docking, cropping, and fireing went on gloriously
and borne down by the strength of the tide, I was obliged to
become a reluctant participator in these doings, or be cast a-
side and with no opportunity of practice and to be without that
indispensible, never failing thing practical knowledge, which
I wished to acquire. At length, finding where the error lay,
in the shoeing, in not attending to, or understanding the ne-
cessity of providing for the elasticity of the foot; a property
first described intelligbly in the Podonomia_t but which the
booksellers also would neither buy nor encourage, declaring
it out of print, if called for, having their own subordinates in

view, who published books almost without number.

Whilst at Worcester, near the expiring of my apprentice-
ship, I by chance heard that a Veterinary school was about
to be established in London, the ground and buildings of
which were provided by the munificence of the noble duke
of Northumberland.* Fond of the horse, and his many ex-
cellent qualities, I determined on joining the concern, St.
."Bel, a french gentleman being made its professor, poor fellow
within a twelvemonth he was cut off by a dreadful attack of
low nervous fever, which Dr. Crawford who attended him,
from the tumors and boils which attended it, said, it more
nearly resembled the plague as described by authors, than
anything he had ever seen in this country, On his death
Mr. Moorcroft was chosen professor, but declined going
on, on account of its too much interfering with his own busi-
ness in Oxford Street, and Coleman therefore was invited to
assist, him. I remained in the college two years. I then
left for a long tour of two years nearly, on the continent,
visiting all the Veterinary schools, from Copenhagen, north,
to Lyons, south, witnessing their coarse and rough proceed-
ings. Returning home, I found a vacant spot in the centre
of the metropolis, where I commenced my labors, by erecting
some stables, a forge, and a counting house, and finally a
dwelling or two.

In seting down to business I chiefly found encouragement
from the large brewers, whose horses I attended, and learned
much from this practice. The public at large did not so
much encourage me, and the business that was brought me
as soon as the horses were relieved by the shoeing and made
to go a little better, were too often taken away again by

* But which has been infamously curtailed by those left in charge of it.

the servants to their old associates and boon companions to the
forge they were used to. The cases of surgery that occured
were principally of denuded feet from the most dread abuse of
the buttriss, and the drawing knife, and then the abraded sur-
face of the quick being exposed to air and wet, and surround-
ed with impinging horn, were called cankered cases, though
with nothing of a cancerous nature about them, but through
exposure and vile applications were made difficult enough of
cure, of which I have given a lengthened sketch and essay
among my other works, many of these workmen considered
themselves very expert in curing these cases, but my ex-
perience did not confirm their pretensions, but on the con-
trary, for after heavy expences incurred in keep, they were
often led ultimately to the slaughter houses to be destroyed

St. Bel also published models in Brass, and in plaster of
what he considered perfect shoes, but of little real use, as
they only retained the common principle of nailing up both
sides of the foot, and the horses did not perform well
in them, though we could not guess why for a very long time,
indeed long after his death, and indeed not clearly and de-
fmately made manifest till the begining of this work, when
the two principles are expressly stated and rendered clear.

Coleman with his Frog pressure system, slavishly adhered
to and taught, though found to be erronious, to the youths
of the college, threw back the art for 40 years, misleading
and injuring the success of their practice also wherever occu-
pied with it taking out patents for it, to the day of his death.

The shoeing smiths are not a very numerous class, which
makes their wages run high and their conduct somewhat in-
dependent and conceited. They are also generally self ap-

pointed to the work,and without any preparation of a specific
education, fitting them for the undertaking ; all this ought to
he looked into and be brought into more intelligent and useful
order, we believe, to fully answer the design intended, and
to be a very beneficial association to the public, and the ad-
vance of the treatment and extended utility of the animal, and
also of his own comforts. And indeed if a catalogue of all the
necks broken by the falling of their horses were made out,
they would be a frightful and formidable list, that would
make people see a little better after the origin and causes
of it.

And all privileged incorporated bodies are apt to throw
back all improvements made by individuals and not emanating
from themselves or advancing their reputation.

The principle of liberty to the foot begining more strongly
to dawn upon the public, so slow are first impressions, so
these glimpses were met by attempting to shoe with Tips,
and which became a good deal used, the horses improving
in their going in them induced the trial of a three quarter
shoe, and this led to very short shoes, and from this came a
three quarter shoe, and this led to very short shoes, and from
this came a trial of a full shoe, jointed, and a jointed shoe
may be seen in old books on farriery, as Blundville &c. Yet
they a centuary ago were employed without any notion of
the expansive elastic action of the foot,, because in the hunt-
ing field, a shoe lost would be readily supplied by one that
opened to any requisite extent, by a joint in the toe�well
this shoe being applied was found to give ease and good action
to the horse, and supply the principle wanted, and as it was
thought too soon worn out at the joint. The Tablet Shoe

which was invented by me, and published in London 1827, it
consisted of the common shoe divided at the toe, and united
again by a steel tablet, having two strong steel rivets on
which these halves played The horse went well in it, and
it became extensively used, among others by my worthy
friend Joseph Dockwra, of Kelvedon, in Essex, he on one
occasion being without a supply from my forge, directed his
smith in the country to leave the nails out on one side, this
proposition of course occasioned great alarm to the smith,
who told him he would never if he went his journey to London
see them come back to Kelvedon, he persisted however, and
io his great surprize they came back safe, and indeed staid
on till they were fairly worn out.

The horse no doubt finding their comfort by taking wider
and flatter steps favored their staying on.

In this way for two whole 3-ears were they in use before I
was acquainted with what was going on, and many hearing
his account and seeing the superior going of his horse were
induced to try it. I acknowledge on hearing it I was incre-
dulous about them, at length a horse was sent to Wapping to
show me, and see the fact, and on his being exhibited I took
up his foot and to my astonishment found a single nail in-
serted in the free quarter, and pointing it out it occasioned
a general laughter; the fact was, that the poor simple jour-
neyman who put the shoes on could not bring his faith to
believe they could be secure without, and put it in unknown
to his master: the nail being drawn out, the shoes staid on
their appointed time and no doubt from this time was enter-
tained of their adequacy.

On this mode of defence becoming known in Wapping, it

spread from thence into the City, and the practice did not
long want for plenty of claimants, a letter however from me
to Joseph Dockwra himself and his answer lithographed from
his own hand writing soon put an end to this.

It is a matter of truly painful consideration and regret to
look back upon, that for several hundred years the horse has
been shod in iron shoes without any sort of principle being
known to guide the smith in his labors, that his shoes
should be fast, tight on and should not fall off was all that
was required, every ignorant individual following his own
notions,

The state of the bones of the Eclipse horse, mere rounded
knobs which are now before me after 24 years shoeing, mani-
fest the effect of double nailing and confining the arch of the
foot for this period and he at length was obliged to be carried
about in a box, or van, drawn by another horse and the groom
riding inside with him, as do also manifest the more exact
and guarded experiments found in the Podophthora.

SUPPLEMENT,

Plain Directions for Nailing on the Shoes. As far as we know no printed instructions
has ever appeared on this important department of the art which is well deserving enquiry,
and the following imperfect sketch may lead to improvements, that may perfect the art, in
obtaining this sketch we have of course availed ourselves of the aid of the most experienced
and adroit artificers we could find.

In the first place, obtain a shoo so scientifically holed for permitting an elastic yielding as
shall not compress the arch df the foot, and cause those evils to the foot itself and danger to
the rider as have hitherto been so lamentably the case.

It is now discovered that both sides of the arch of the foot, should not be held in durance
vile by nails, in opposition to each other, but should be so disposed as to give the utmost
degree of liberty to the foot, consistent with its security from coming off. And it is well
ascertained this can be done by five 6 or seven nails, according to the siae of tile foot, appro-
priately placed and duly rivetted. Of these seven nails five circumscribe the pince or toe
and one or two extending to the outside quarter not very far along it, the rest of the hoof is
left wholly without nails

To prepare ihe nail for its insertion which comes often very rough from the nail maker,
It is taken in the left band and laid on a steel upright square or Cylindrical shaft, firmly
fixed on a column of wood, or on a seperate stool on the work bench,laid flat on the stake it
receives a good hammering on one side and then on ihe other, and then on the two edges, so
as to render it uniformly tapering, and smooth for passing easily into the hoof, the head
also;being well figured and made square. The point 13 next requiring a more scientific
and careful attention in being brought to a round clear point, which point is then by an
oblique stroke of the hammer reduced to the figure of a half or divided wedge longitudin-
ally, the slopeing side being directed to the inside and the flat side to the outside of the hoof,
thus giving it an inclination to pass outwardly. In making this description, we have not
the vanity or ambition of thinking it perfect, bat of fixing a point in the art .whence future
ages can know if they have improved, remained stationary, or retrograded in the art.

The first nail in fixing on the shoe we imagine should be inserted about the middle of
,the outer pince, this^part well presenting, and also part of the hoof being more extended
than any other, and especially as the adjustment of the shoe to its exact place, requires
often a rectification by the hammer

The first blow given the nail is on the edge of the head outward, and would incline the nail
to a course inwards, but the bevilling of its point keeps it making a course outward, and the
rectitude of it 3 course is judged of by the degree of resistance it makes to the hammer, espe-
cially when approaching the outward hard shell of the hoof, whereas if it has taken a wrong
direction towards the quick, this is not experienced, and the nail is then withdrawn, and
dressed for passing more externally to assure its passage outward. On its appearing out-
wardly the nail is driven home less cautiously by sharp blows on the full square of the head
but not so fiercely as is often done fearfully lodging the iron against the vein of tlie foot.

The shank of the nail now appearing outwardly, is by a blow of the hammer turned
down against the hoof and wrung off, leaving a small excess to secure the clinch which
is then knocked down and polished with the rasp or file.

The last nail should be less than the rest, as the hoof is growing thiner posteiiourly,
and the inflexural knob shouldbe left as free as possible from impression, and the nails must
not be inserted too close for fear of breaking up the intervening horn, nor too wide asunder
■lest we too much circumscribe the hoof and prevent its elastic action, and the full success
of the shoeing can only be known by riding the horse a few .miles with an easy rein.

Finally, in finishing the process do not with the rasp, rasp off the very useful cuticular
covering which nature has kindly furnished it with to defend it from drying and pinching
The young horse in his fiistshoeing should be treated with the greatest kindness and
circumspection

FeAG XII. About seven hundred years ago at the eommencement of attaching iron
for defence to the horses feet, they did not discover any property in the foot forbidding such
a practice, but that all they had to look to was, to fasten them on tight, and to take care
they should not fall off, nor did any change take place that we know of in all this long
period, little did they dream that their plans was, the subverting one of nature's
essential and important qualities, nothing less than that of an elastic yielding to the im-
pression of ₄the weight in the progress of the animal with or without a burthen. Unfort-
unately they did not perceive trat tbe horse's hoof was by means of the sole of an arched
figure, nor did they perceive if they fixed two nails in exact opposition through their iron
band, and then through the heels of this elastic arch, that no motion or movement of any
kind could have place where they were so blocked and fixed, and a second pair in the same
way rendered this arch doubly immovable, in which state of restraint the foot solidly block-
ed and held night and day for a long period, would soon loose it3 natural properties
and suffer from compression and numbness, and finally loose these properties by the
absorption more or less of the parts thus pressed upon, and held under durance vile, first
the exterior of the hoof, and then its interior contents, as the nut-boae and coffin-bone,
and not discovering what was really taking place, they ingeniously attributed all ill effects
they perceived to any thing but the right cause, or to what reflected on their art, and mourn-
ful is the reflection that for waDt of this little bit of science and knowledge of the elastic
yielding of the elastic arch of the foot, distributing the nails on each side of the foot, and
directly opposite to each other, misery to thousands and tens of thousands of horses has been
perpetrated, and thousands of property and lives both human and horses been sacrificed with
sufferings of the animal from compression and distress of countless amount. For the
proofs and particulars of which let shem consult the Hippodonomia. For as there is no
giving way on the sides, the compression necessarily takes place towards the centre, injur-
ing and destroying those part3, and which shows the new mode of nailing in the segment
of a circle, to be imperiously necessary.



	Jf&fuJP	#6

	AGMENTA

	INARIA

	OR

	scraps mm wz memorandum book.

	BY BRACY CLARK, F.L.S. And Member of the Imperial French Institute, &e»

	LONDON : PRINTED BY T. DAVIES, 2, GILTSPUR STREET



	V

	6 speaking of them to use utterly false and delusive terms, so we should be led to propose something more distinctive and appropriate, as Contusiones, Ferrimala or in simply speaking fermals, and thus do away a deal of mystery, confusion, am- biguity and misconception, and greatly benefit the art. The vast uncertainty in the performance of the best race horses is a subject of frequent lamentation with betting sportsmen, and which in a great degree we believe to be owing to the grievous effects of the ironing of their feet; never performed twice alike, for I will not now call it by the delusive name of shoeing, its real effects upon the foot we have honestly pourtrayed in the Hipponomia, and if cats have been born without tails after having this member am- putated for a few generations, and the Chinese feet, are said to become smaller than the rest of mankind by the unremitted constant prsesure, we think it not assuming too much to im- agine, that the horse suffering by this vile ironing through hundreds of generations has lost the full comforts and spread of this natural organ, which only could be restored by many successive generations of full liberty for life of this important organ. What infernal inflictions indeed are imposed on this most suffering, kind, forgiving, worthy, generous and most useful of animals ! !



	11 6. With regard to Shoeing of the Horse or defending the foot with iron, as the part so treated is a living sentient part, so the operation of doing this may in some degree come under the designation of a Surgical operation, and therefore requiring anatomical knowledge of the organization about to be so treated, influencing essentially its future ex- istence. Now this has hitherto never been thought of, but the object in view has been to defend it against the wear of the road at any cost of its structure and laws, now a more reasonable view is taken of one of its essential properties, viz, its accomodating Elasticity, and which taken into the ac- count, makes the shoeing become quite a different matter from merely enclosing any rough body with a circling band of iron. Therefore the operator to be properly equipped for this service, should as far as respects the organ he is dealing with, become an intelligent anatomist, and then, and not till then, will he perfectly succeed in his undertaking, and with this knowledge will his art rise in usefulness and respect, and his occupation be rewarded with more honor and more wages, at least so it is to be hoped. Though in this respect it is not much to be complained of at present when compared with the wages of other similar artificers. Now the business of the Shoeing artificer should be to con- sidei the real structure and nature of the living organ he is practicing upon, before he is permitted to drive a nail into it and closely embrace it with his iron bondage,so as not to offend against the fundamental principles of the foot, and then find- ing mischevous effects resulting from it to cut and slash away necessary parts under pretence of relieving it, but in reality making bad worse, for want of understanding its general laws and structure.



	12

	On the Rarey System of Horse Taming. 7. We hail with pleasure anything coming from this new born land of America, unencumbered as it is with the tumors, incrustations and impediments usually thrown in the way of advancing knowledge by old governments and laws. How- ever it is not to be expected that all will be good that proceeds thence, without some degree of pruning and setting to rights, as being too wild for immediate adoption. How earnestly we wish the noble example of the founder of Pensylvania may be kept always in view by this people, who nobly refused to re- ceive the gift of the land of Pensylvania, though given him for a debt, till he had satisfied the natives of the land by a solemn treaty and purchase. The present performance of Rarey is brought before the public by one enamoured of his system, if such it may be called, by a fox hunting squire, a writer on horse subjects for the newspapers, a school not very much entertained by the public for this species of investigation. In the first place we must seriously object to the very title which is rendering injustice to the horse, making him a sort of wild beast that stands in need of being tamed. Instead of which we hold him from his natural inoffensive disposition to require nothing of the sort, but has been most kindly delivered to our hands by a merciful Creator, neither wild normischevous, but onlyrequir- ing a little gentle breaking in, or education, without any pu- nishing him or injuring him, to become the docile, faithful, laborious, ready helpmate of man, that could be possibly desired. His education we hold should consist of gaining his friend- ship and confidence by gentle measures, and not by deceiving



	15 for the presence of pusunder the horn, from the pressure of nails driven too close to the quick, or have bent in their course towards the flesh ; as also in bleeding the circular vein of the foot, or in the removal of cracks in the hoofs from uneven shoes, or the rasping the very useful flinty rind off, its proper defence from the air, and from its drying and pinching. So that we are compelled at all hazards to retain these knives in the forge at present. When I look back to the period of my commencing these studies sixty years ago, the vile buttriss was in universal use for cutting a wide, deep notch in the heels, to widen and make them fly open, as they said, but which in reality by weakening the frame of the hoof, made it only contract the faster, this weapon is nowwholely disused, and the business scarification left to the drawing knife alone. People then indeed were so subdued by their mishaps and troubles, with their horses, that they hardly dared call in question whatever the grooms and the smiths declared to be right. These were the palmy days for the forge and the stable, and nicking, docking, cropping, and fireing went on gloriously and borne down by the strength of the tide, I was obliged to become a reluctant participator in these doings, or be cast a- side and with no opportunity of practice and to be without that indispensible, never failing thing practical knowledge, which I wished to acquire. At length, finding where the error lay, in the shoeing, in not attending to, or understanding the ne- cessity of providing for the elasticity of the foot; a property first described intelligbly in the Podonomia_t but which the booksellers also would neither buy nor encourage, declaring it out of print, if called for, having their own subordinates in