Old Blundevill, in his 24th Chapter of his Book on Horses, 4to. 1609. p. 22, gives the following advice:—
“But because few keepers can correct with discretion, I would wish him rather to use no correction at all, but only to winne him by gentle meanes, by faire speaking, and by often clawing him and feeding him by hand, and in Summer season, by wiping away Flies,[26] Nats, or other things that doth annoy him: so shall the Horse be alwayes glad of him, and rejoice in his presence, and in time become so familiar, as he will play with him like a dog; for, truely, unless there be mutual Lore betwixt the keeper and the horse, the horse seldom or never battleth; for if the keeper love not his horse, he will never meat him thoroughly nor delight to dresse him, nor will the horse be delighted with his dressing. And, therefore, the chiefest point of a horsekeeper is to love his horse and to seeke to be loved againe of him; so shall he profit the Horse and pleasure his Maister.”
Before you mount your Horse, if you are only going to take an Airing, examine whether the Bridle, Girths, and Straps, &c. are all good and well fixed, and that he is properly Shod.
“For want of a Nail the Shoe is lost,
For want of a Shoe the Horse is lost.”
Direct that neither the Heel nor Frog be pared more than merely to take off what is ragged and broken. It is still more safe to do that yourself, or direct your Coachman to do it, than to trust it to a Farrier or Shoemaker, notwithstanding the Gentleman may have written over his Door, “Here Horses are shod agreeable to Nature and according to Art.”
Fit the Shoe to the Foot, and not the Foot to the Shoe.
ON THE
ROUGH-SHODDING OF HORSES
IN
FROSTY WEATHER.
It is manifest, that a considerable increase of pressure on the Heels naturally follows—so that Lameness frequently attends the practice of Frosting even for a short time.