Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1884-04-30
The Horse and His Feet.

HOrseshocs a Bsqusst of the BRrbarians
American Farrtsry.
In lecture in fremont Temple, Bostop.
Mr.. John E. Russell, secretary of the Mas
sachusetts Board of Agriculture, discussed
the care and treatment of horses feet. He
said he considered that he had ample author
ity to begin his lecture by discussing the
horses feet, for it is we'll known to horse
men that the greatest difficulty that they en-
counter in general horse management is the
care of the fset, in which they are confront-
ed by perplexing and troublesome diseases.
An old English proverb said that "He who
hath the care of a horses feet hath the care
of the whole BODY and a French maxim,
s'No frog, no feet ne feet, no horss." To
go further back, prior to modern tiass, for
his authority, he would refer to the Grecian
captain, statesman, philosopher and scholar,
the pupil of Socrates, Xenophon, whose
works are still SO much read by those who
study tho language. In his article on the
knowledge of the horse, and ia his treatise
upon the duties of cavalry officers. Xenophon
Gays in regard to choosing a horse: Let
hiIn who would choose a horse first look to
his feet, for the superstruetHrs, however
splendid, hath no support without a good
1OuuOaIlOAs No u uUTSS, LuOuSu ne DS per-
feet in every part and at every point. 10 of no
value If he hath not good feet" We have
more difficulties to encounter than he in his
day, for we have made alteration in the man
agement of the horse, for We have succseded
in utilizing him to much greater degree
than he ever did by mailing iron upon the
bottom of his feet. That, although it has
enabled modern horse owners to use their
animals in many ways that they otherwise
could not has been very Pandors's box of
difficulty and disease, and has brought upon
the animal and the horse owner many per-
plsxities.
THE HORSE IN HEAVEN.
If horses are shod in vain, as sonls argue,
there is the cost of shoeiag wasted, the eff
cheney of the animal injured and the cutting
short of his life, as it is said so per cent to
be considered as brought upon man by civili-
zation. There are in the United States be-
tween II, 00O, 900 and H. 000, coo horses,
which are shod at a cost of not less than $10
or $12 per year, which amounts to some
3125, 600, coo or $50 900, ,O00, to which must
be added the loas of the horses time and his
efficiency from the evils which follow this
method of Bhosing and. more than that, the
loss in cutting short his term of life. Mr.
Russell here described the condition of
horses in Mexico and Brazil, where shoeing
and the diseases of which horse owners COM
plain are practically unknown. The history
of the horse is well known, from ths earliest
man as we know him 10 authentic history
from the earliest chapter of Genesis to the
last chapter of Revelation, where the in
spired apostle says ten thousand of the hosts
of heaven were seen riding upon white
horses, and ths conqueror of the world came
forth to subdue the nations mounted upon a
pale horse There Is no other animal in the
world that goes to heaven.
IN THE DAYS OF xENoPMoN.
After further Introductory remarks Mr..
Russell asked why it was, il all the evils no.
ticeable in horses feet to-day come from
-shosing, that Xenophou referred to their
weakness thousand years before sheeipg
was invented. Then, too, it is known that
on many of the great cavalry expeditions of
Hannibal trouble with hcrses feet was expe-
rienced, and that the soldiers covered them
with buskins of some kind that had attached
to them probably small plates of iron. Fur
ther, it il known that no heavy work was
done by horses on the Roman roads, it being
done almost entirely by asses OF oxen 1t
was only when the berbsrians from the north
came into southern Europe that horseshoe
ing was introduced to the civilization of the
old world. So it has been handed down to
us, and it is claimed that the horses utility
is increased q thousand fold by tAe manner
in which we shoe him. Some may say that
evils have increased hundred fold. It is
said that very few horses could do the work
required OF tn0m WlGnOaG BnOe6. Ihof0 are
really great many that could be used con:
siderable length of time without shasing,
until their hoofs were worn sway 90 that the
sensitive sole Was reached and became sore
Most people say '1ame." When the horse'a
hoof is worn away to the ssHAitive Aber he is
sore-footed, not lame he may walk linn ping
II, because to step hurts him but he Is not
lame In the true sense of the sword. The
loss of that fiber will almost Immediately be
eured-in fact within three or four days.
There are only a few horses which have such
weak feet that they are made useful only by
shoeiag. HorResheeing equalizes horses.
AMERICAN FARRIEBY.
Now the question is, how shall ve manage
these horses with the abuses that are gene
rally attached to farriery, and make them
useful, preserving thsir- powers and good
health the full length of their lives in the
uss to which they are put American far
rivry fs the best in the world with the excsp-
ton of the French. We are continually
tauntad with opposing British farriery. Not
long since a distinguished naturalist, Mr.
Wood, gave description of English far
nsry. He siao desefibed conditieRs and
abnses that do not exist in this eeaasr~ .,d
never have existed here. s'.- .ostan,s = tbsv SaS
fU : ~. =. =. : Lost invariably by turn.
:. mat is called heel calk. It may be
/ an inch long or more, and lifts up the heel Of
the horse like q lady's foot with Louli
IQuatorze heel on her shoe. He described
| the English style OF horseshoeing, and MOI
/ the American, land, said the speaker, u
| was all could do to keep my seat and no