Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1878-08-08
LIY { STOCK.
HORSES sHoD OR UNsHoD.

cussed. The Marx Lane Erpress gives the
testimony of a Mr.. Geo. Ransom, in, the
Times. who says that since 1862 he has CON
stantly used horses unshod, though he has
owned over 200 horses at on time, and used
them for all kinds of purposes over rough
roads. Their hoofs. required pairing some
times, but they grow so tough that they
could not be cut with an ordinary drawing
knife, but required steel nippers. He ar
CUES that though horses used to being shod
would wear their hoofs out quickly il used
immediately after having their shoes taken
off. the same result would not follow if they
were brought gradually to regular work,
thus giving time for the soles of the boots
to acquire the necessary hardness ans
toughness. On the London asphalt Mr..
Ransom thinks horses would 60 much bet
ter and more safely unshod.
In dry soils, and even in those that are
rocky, where horses are used to going I'M
shod, their hoofs become remarkably tough
and the animals, besides being very sure
footed. safer no Inconvenience otherwise.
In situations where the country is covered
with a compactssward. as for instance in the
prairie region of the West, and on the great
plains beyond, the boots of horses some
times so overgrow us to be cumbersome,
and require considerable cutting. There is
no doubt whatever that upon smooth pave
.ments, as in our Western cities, and some
East, with care in first toughening the
hoois the animals would do good work and
be infinitely surer footed than by the ordi-
nary mode of shoeing. Nevertheless we do
not think shoeing is. injurious to the foot
where it is properly done by men who
thoroughly understand the conditions nee
essary.
In this connection it may be well to state
that the hoofs of horses used upon soft land
where there is always moisture present are
always soft. When driven on hard roads,
without shoeing, such horses will 60 dead
lame sometimes before travelling a mile.
The reason is obvious. The horn Of the
hoof from constant saturation becomes soft
and it not only abraded upon coming in
contact with hard roads, but such hoofs also
become peculiarly sensitive in their entire
texture. For this reason many farmers
who have more or less teaming to 40 dur
ing the spring and fall months keep a team
or teams especially for the read, while those
teams that are continually worked on the
farm 90 without shoeing. AS q rule, we be-
lieve that during the season betWeen June
aud October, with a little care farm teams
may be kept without .hoes and dc the trav-
ell naturally incident to hard roads not only
without shoes but to the real comfort Of the
teams as we'll. What is wanted among
farmers is that they inform themselves up
on what the hoof of the horse is capable of
enduring. For instance. The street gamin
pulls Oft his shoes, il indeed he shas them,
as soon as the days are warm in the spring.
For the first week his feet are tender and
more or less sensitive. Day by day, how
ever, they become toughehed, until at last
the soles are as horn which nothing can
lacerate. The hoof of the horse is some
thing like this. Continually soaked by the
moisture of spring it is sensitive. AS the
season progresses and the land becomes dry
it becomes tough and hard. The boot that
in the early part of the season would not
standa hard road, at length, with care will
stand without disability almost anything
that comes.
There is another phase just here worth
mentioning. The horse which goes eener-
ally unshod has tough ,hoofs, just rs the say
age who goes poorly shod has hard soles to
his feet. So far as shoeing is concerned the
actual sole of the hoofs of the horse, the