CHAPTER XV. PROGRESS OF THE ART OF FARRIERY. IT. DISADVANTAGES OF SHOEING. FUTILE ATTEMPTS TO IMPROVE BE STUDIED. ADVANTAGES OF THE ANCIENT SYSTEM. GERMAN SHOEING AND HOOF-PARING. ITS EVIL RESULTS. TRADITIONAL SHOEING. ROUTINE. ERRONEOUS THEORIES. THE HORSE'S FOOT. LAFOSSE'S TEACHING. MALTREATMENT OF REQUIREMENTS OF GOOD SHOEING. STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS OF THE HOOF. BAD SHOEING. RULES TO BE OBSERVED. BEST FORM OF SHOE, and METHOD OF APPLICATION. HEREDITARY DISEASES. AMERICA AND ARABIA. OF IMPROPER SHOEING. SHOEING IN EFFECTS OF EUROPEAN SHOEING. DANGERS ART. AN APPEAL TO HORSEMEN. THERE are probably few arts which have been known and practised for so long a period, which have been found of such general utility, and yet have undergone so little modification or real improvement as this of horse-shoeing, The earliest model of an iron shoe we can discover differs but little in form from those now in everyday use; and perhaps there are not many arts which have attracted a larger share of attention and experiment by men who had made the subject their profound study, and others who had not, and knew but little of the theoretical principles which should govern its practice. Books have been written by scores, promulgating new methods; patents innumerable have thrown their ægis over inventions doomed never to be adopted; expensive machines have been devised for the speedy manufacture of shoes of a particular shape or quality of metal; and individuals have given various designations to eccentric or trivial deviations from the ordinary pattern; yet what is the result? That, with one or two exceptions, little change has been wrought, and shoes resembling in shape those in use ages ago are still in universal repute, and are not likely to be supplanted for some time to come; while the mode of fastening them to the hoofs by nails, cannot, it appears, be replaced by any other yet proposed. The reason for this most probably depends upon the fact, that the supposed improvements have been either too extravagant or speculative in their aim, and gave rise to disappointment after a brief trial; or they were so elaborate, or unsuited to the foot and its functions, that they could not be adopted. The shady aspect of civilization, as regards an artificial existence, is manifested in the horse as palpably almost as in man; and of the many ills entailed upon this creature by domestication and continual employment upon made roads, none are more grievous, more frequent in their occurrence, or more difficult to remedy, than those attributed, directly or indirectly, justly or unjustly, to shoeing. Hence the avidity with which any reasonable proposal for the avoidance of these evils was jumped at, and the inevitable reaction and disappointment which ensued when they failed; until now, so firmly established has the present mode of shoeing become, the announcement of any improvement seldom obtains more notice than a smile of incredulity, or a hesitating and often prejudiced trial. 1 PROGRESS OF THE ART OF FARRIERY. 627 The truth consists in this, that it is not so much newfangled notions or devices, which have really no practical bearing, and are usually founded on error, that are wanted, but careful attention to the anatomical and physiological teachings which the study of the limb and foot alone can give, and simple adherence to well-established principles which have their foundation in these. A neglect, or want of a just appreciation of the value of the facts which the above sciences furnish, have been fruitful sources of false doctrine in this respect, and have caused much suffering to the unfortunate horse, and loss to his owner. For a period extending over very many centuries, it would appear that the horse's foot was regarded and treated pretty much as if it were a block of wood exposed to attrition, and that the sole aim and purpose of shoeing was to defend it from wear. Its anatomy, functions, and maladies, if it had many in primitive times, were little understood; nor, perhaps, were the less noticeable, but no less important advantages to be derived from the scientific application of farriery, thought of. As M. Megnin remarks, from the time of their invention, and during many centuries, horse-shoes were simply a narrow iron armature laid flat against the foot, with the exclusive object of protecting it from wear. This primitive idea of shoeing has its analogy in that now employed by the Arabs: an analogy which is further confirmed in the method of attaching the shoe. In both cases the nails have large heads, intended to grasp the ground; they take a short, yet strong hold of the wall of the hoof, and the points, instead of being twisted off, are simply turned round to the side of the foot. The nail-holes are circular, the necks of the nails are also round, and the shoe is light. This analogy, says Megnin, gives rise to the conviction that with the Gauls, the Gallo-Romans, the Greeks of the lower Empire, as well as with the Arabs of now-a-days, the horses' feet were scarcely pared; that they were as frequently without shoes as with them, and that the deteriorations of the horny case, and the infirmities of the inferior extremity of the limbs, were unknown to them. The settlement of certain Germanic races in France and Britain after the departure of the Romans, and the extension of their rule, caused the gradual substitution of the German for the Celtic method of shoeing. Instead of the narrow shoes, with the flat upper surface and undulated border, heavier plates with a wider surface, and concave towards the sole of the foot, began to be introduced, and, adds M. Megnin, at this period the boutoir, or 'buttress,' commenced its functions, and reckless paring of the hoofs began. From this time up to the present, this attendant curse of shoeing has prevailed. Cæsar Fiaschi, one of the earliest writers on farriery, gives us a long catalogue of foot diseases, directly or indirectly due to paring, and he, and all enlightened men who have succeeded him, and who have written on this subject, have protested against this wanton destruction and unmitigated cruelty. Whenever the sole began to be pared, the heels opened, and the frog mutilated, it became necessary to adopt shoes with the foot surface concave; no pressure could be borne by those parts which had been deprived of their natural protection. Therefore were the shoes dished-made like a 'It must not be forgotten that in the ancient laws of Wales a paring-knife is mentioned, as well as a 'groover' for the nail-holes. FUTILE ATTEMPTS TO IMPROVE IT. 629 he basin-the inner border only resting on the ground, and the whole strain of the animal's weight and burden, as well as that incurred in violent exertion, was thrown entirely upon the outer margin of the foot. This could have but one result for the poor horse-disease and agony. Routine has accompanied the art from the remotest period; it haunts it now; there are but few workmen who are able or who care to reason as to its application, or its effects on the healthy functions of a most beautiful but a most complicated organ. The art of shoeing is simply traditional; and however able an artisan may prove himself in the beaver or bee-like monotony of practical detail which he has acquired by imitation from others, yet will never advance a step beyond, unless his intelligence has been quickened by something besides the mere mechanical knowledge he has acquired by laborious but unstudied repetition. He is but a labourer or workman pursuing a useful but unscientific occupation, unless he can combine theory with practice, and extend his knowledge beyond the inert inorganic envelope, to the vital and all-important structures within, and in this way maintain them in a healthy state by his art. It is no doubt owing to this routine manner of treating the horse's foot that no progress has been made in diminishing the natural or acquired defects and diseases of this organ, which are so numerous and prove so destructive. Previous to the beginning of the last century, it may be said that the art of shoeing was traditional; the shoes were clumsy, and, at a later period, even viciously contrived. No thought appears to have been paid to the injurious influence shoes and paring might have on the |