Page:Horse shoes and horse shoeing.djvu/451

 seal, which bears the inscription,

Connected with this period, it may be noted that a few years ago a large number of shoes were collected on the farm of West Nisbet, Berwickshire, which is supposed to be the site of the battle of Nisbet Muir, fought in 1355, between the English and Scots. No description has been given of these relics, save that they were of an uncommonly small size; and I have been unable to trace their whereabouts, though in all probability they were consigned to the metallurgical operations of the village blacksmith, and converted into defences for the hoofs of the larger and more peaceably designed steeds of the 19th century.

As has been repeatedly noticed, the shoes worn by horses appear to have varied greatly in size after the Norman conquest; a circumstance due, no doubt, to the introduction of larger breeds from the continent at different times. What these breeds of horses were it is difficult to say in some instances. From the size of the shoes previous to the conquest, we infer that the horses were small—from 12 to 14 hands high. The Normans had extensive breeding studs in Normandy, and no doubt improved their horses by crossing them with the Barb and Spanish races, and these would also be the breeds imported to England. For some time previous to his invasion, William had been buying the best horses of Spain, Gascony, and Auvergne, and these, we may take for granted, accompanied him. The size of their hoofs would not, however, be much larger than those of the breeds already in