Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-07-22
HOrseshOeS.

horses feet by means of SOME covering, a
thorough description of which has not
been handed down.
Not only were the feet of horses shield
ed to some extent, but ancient historians
tell us that camels were shod in the time
of war, or when they were about to take a
long journey.
Mules, which were formerly much used
in riding, and oxen whose hoofs had sus-
tanned any injury, were furnished with
shoes made of some plant of the hemp
kind woven or twisted together.
1t is said that when the Emperor Nero
undertook short journeys he was general
ly drawn by mules which were shod with
silver, while those of his wife Poppaa
had shoes of gold.
The Russians in Kamtchatka have their
dogs shod III such manner that their
claws project through small holes, proba-
bly, to prevent them from slipping on the
icy ground.
The shoes of the Roman cattle were
made Of iron, but were very badly fastened,
as they were often lost in the stiff CLAW.
They were not worn constantly, but were
only put on when display or some uneven
ness of the roads made it necessary.
Reference is made in ancient history to
the shoes Of Vespasian's mules, his coach
man having stopped in some journey to
put them on, thus giving another evil
,dence of their use, though we have no ac-
count of their appearance.
The shoes of horses were seldom alluded
to by ancient writer's, because those ami
mails were comparatively so little used
1t is asserted that they were never shod in
war
a German author says As our horse
shoes were unknown to the ancients they
employed the utmost care to procure
horses with strong hoofs and for the same
reason they tried every method possible to
harden the hOOfs and to render them dura-
bic. 1t, indeed, appears wonderful to us
that the use of iron shoes should have re-
manned SO long unknown" Of course he
must refer entirely to iron shoes such as
are used SO generally at present, as iron in
some form seems to have been used for
shoelng animals, though it may have
been very uncommon. He adds that cit
was certainly bold attempt to nail piece
OF iron for the first time under the hoof of
horse; and | firmly believe that there
are many persons at present who, had
they never seen such a thing, would doubt
the possibility of it if they had never
heard it mentioned"
Vossius considered as an argument in
favor of horseshoes the expressions used
by Homer and other poets when they
speak Of iron-fOoted and brazen-footed
horses, l0ud-sounding hoofs, etc., and is of
opinion that such descriptions could only
be given of horses that had iron shoes.
But hard strong shoes being considered
indispensable in a good horse, there is lit
tie reason to suppose they referred to mod
ern horseshoes. XenOphOn, who employs
the same expressions or similar ones, ex-
plains them in very clear manner by say
ing that the hoofs must be so hard that
when they strike the ground they may re-
sound like cymbal. The stays and oxen
with metal feet mentioned in fabulous his
tory were certainly not shod. Sometimes
expressions OF the same kind were applied
to persons who had strong voice, as, for
instance, Achilles is said to have had
braZen voice.
One who has given great deal of time
to researches on this subject has concluded
that hOrseshOes at all resembling those of
the present day were first used in the ninth
century, and gives us d strong proof of
their first appearance at that time the men,
ton made of them in the writings of Ital-
ian, English and French authors of the
same century.
He tells us that when Boniface, Marquis
OF Tuscany, one of the richest princes Of
his time, went to meet Beatrix, his bride,
mother Of the well-knOwn Matilda, about
the year 1893, his whole train was so mag
niicently decorated that his horses were
not shod with iron but with silver. The
nails, even, were of the same metal, and
when any of them dropped out they be-
longed to those who found them.
The practice of shoeing horses appears
to have been introduced into England by
William the Conqueror. This sovereign
is said to have given the city of Northamp-
ton as tief to a certain person in con
sideration of his paying stated sum an
nually for the shoeing of horses. 1t is
supposed that person named Fleury de
Ferries, or de Ferrers, who came over with
William, and'whose descendants still bear
in their arms six horseshoes, received his
surname because his business was to over
look the farriers
Horseshoes have been found with other
riding furniture in the graves of some of
the old Germans and Vandals in the north
ern countries, but the antiquity of these
cannot be ascertained.
The belief in the power of horseshoes
against sorcery is perhaps as ancient as
their invention, and prevails even to this
day among Ignorant, superstitious people.
Butler, in Hudibras, = says Of his con-
juror that he could
Chase evil spirits away by dint
OF sickle, horseshoe, hollow flint.
AT one time it was a very common
thing to nail horseshoes on the thresholds