The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-12-23
FIFTY YEARS AGO.
The Difference in Horseshoers Then
 and To-day

The Difference in Horseshoers Then
 and To-day.
 Looking over the space of time which has intervened in the years that have practiced the art of horseshoeing, find many changes which can be noted only by those of the old line class.
 Fifty years ago, the horseshoer was expected to be what is known as safe mechanic. The man who could nail shoe to foot and make it stay for the longest time was generally looked upon as the best, and his services were al- ways in demand. Fifty years ago, there was considerable thought given to the subject of anatomy of the foot and leg, the same as we find, to-day, but this research was indulged in only by those whose bent of mindS lay in the direction of literary intercourse. To-day, we find that it is an absolute necessity for the young man or boy serving an apprenticeship to indulge in the deep study of the science of anato- my, as well as to prove himself capable of adjusting shoe to the foot of a horse in the safest possible manner.
 Fifty years ago, the requirements of the horseshoer were not such as we find them, to-day. For the steady ad vance in scientific breeding and training of speed horses has called for much deeper knowledge of the intricacies of the art than was ever dreamed of by the horsehoer of a half century ago. One thing which I believed the craft in early days excelled in was in keeping the foot in a inore prime condition than we find it to-day, but it must be borne in mind that the conditions of the roads, driveways, etc, together with the uses to which horses are put, makes it im- possible for a horseshoer to keep the foot in the same perfect state of pre- servation that he could if the horse was driven along a mud or sand road, such as we had at that time. Fifty years ago. driving horses were shod much lighter than we find them, to-day, and instead of seven or eight nails being used to hold a shoe in place, six was great sufficiency.
 I remember, in 1852, seeing a stage coach with six horses attached, driven from Placeville to Sacramento, Cal; the horses were shod with heel calks, no toe, and only six nails in each shoe, and at the end of the journey, though the horses travelled over extremely rough roads, each shoe was in it's prop CT place.
 Fifty years ago, horseshoers were a very rare class of people. It was diff | cult, indeed. in a town or city of the United States, to find man who would be classed even as fair mechanic, and when he was discovered he might name his own price for doing work. Like to- day, the work of fifty years ago was one of hard labor, but the advantages which machinery has brought about in giving us the finely finished nail and well turned shoe, make the trade very much smoother than when the writer | first began to practice.
 1 Looking back over the entire space of | time, and taking into consideration the 1 progress which has been made during | the past few years, it encourages a | greater study of science among our | young man and boys and places the | stamp of steady approval upon the art | of horseshoeing. I am compelled to ad- l init my sincere pleasure, as I view the | future possibilities of the horseshoer of | to-day, compared with what was held | out to those who followed the trade, l fifty years ago.-Ira Carpenter, in 1 HorseshoerS Journal.