'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎235r] (474/610)

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In the lowlands, the tracks are constantly changing as the
inhabitants put up fences to suit their rice cultivation regardless
of any “ right of way.” Through the paddy fields, at worst
they become a swamp into which animals flounder girth deep,
and at best they are a rough surface of sun-baked mud.
In dry weather during autumn, winter, and early spring when
the ripe fields are not artificially flooded, they admit of freer
movement across country off the beaten track.
Mazandaran tracks often pass between reservoirs (abbandan)
along narrow sloping embankments, which after rain become
so slippery that animals slide down into the reservoirs.
When moving from East to West through the Mazandaran
plain, it is advisable as a general principle, when possible, to
select the coast in preference to an inland route. Second best
is the route closest to the hills, where the sloping ground is drier
and in some parts affords large stretches of open pasture land.
Local transport in these plains consists of ponies (yabu),
which travel better over the soft muddy ground than the mules
which excel over the stony hill tracks. Conditions of travel
in the Caspian provinces are severe for animals from the plateau
of Persia and cause many casualties. They stumble over the
rocks and holes which wrench off their ^hoes, and the tenacious
mud of Mazandaran causes sores and swellings of the legs,
which take a long time to heal. At the end of each stage their
legs and feet should be washed in clean water, dried, and oil
applied to the heels. The change of fodder from “ bhusa ”
to rice straw, not infrequently also from barley to rice, disagrees
with them and causes them to lose condition.
For camels and of course for wheels the whole of the Caspian
provinces, with the exception of the made roads in Gilan, radiat
ing from Rasht, and of the beach, which would be passable for
camels but too soft and heavy for wheels, are utterly im
passable. 1
1 Constant attention must be paid to shoeing. Shoeing smiths capable of
putting on a Persian, but not a European, shoe can be found in most villages along
routes followed by ‘ charvadars,’ but shoes are frequently wrenched off at a dis
tance from any village, and a farrier with a supply of shoes and nails, which are
often unobtainable locally, should accompany any party with animals. Local
animals are roughly shod with iron plates covering the whole sole of the [foot
with the exception of a small aperture near the heel. Their disadvantage is
the necessity of cutting away the frog and the tendency to cause thrush from an
■accumulation of dirt between the foot and the shoe. They are consequently un
suitable for the soft wet ground of the Caspian provinces, but over the dry
stony Elburz tracks there is less risk of thrush, and they have the advantage dt
protecting the sole of the foot from injury, whereas animals shod with European
shoes often become footsore.