Horseshoeing History

There are a few different theories as to when the first horseshoe was used. It is safe to say, however, that humans began nailing shoes made of iron or other material to the bottoms of their horses' hooves as early as 500 AD or earlier. Early horseshoes were made of leather, metal and even bronze before the introduction and mass manufacturing of iron horseshoes during the 13th century. Here is a brief outline of horseshoeing history, including horseshoe patents, folklore and a few misconceptions and problems with the practice of horseshoeing.

  1. Early Horseshoeing

    • In the first century, the Romans used things called "hipposandals," which were shoes made of leather and metal. European riders started using nailed-on metal shoes for their horses during 500 and 600 AD, and by 1000 AD nailing bronze shoes to horses' hooves was widely used all across Europe. During 1200 AD and 1300 AD iron horseshoes were manufactured, making horseshoeing available to more and more people.

    Patents

    • The 19th century brought about the first United States horseshoeing patents in history. The first ever horseshoe patent in the United States was given in 1835 to New Yorker Henry Burden. Burden patented a horse machine that could churn out a maximum of 60 horseshoes in an hour. During the American Civil War of the 1850s, the Northern soldiers' use of a horseshoe manufacturing machine gave them a strong advantage over the Southern armies. Not long after that, the first ever composite horseshoe was patented in 1861 by J.B. Kendall from Boston, Massachusetts.

    Folklore

    • Horseshoes have been associated with good luck for a long time, and there are many stories and myths that explain this. One such story, the story of Saint Dunstan and the Devil, tells the story of Dunstan, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury in 959 AD. The story goes that Dunstan once nailed a horseshoe to the Devil's hoof, which caused the Devil a lot of pain. Dunstan agreed to remove the horseshoe and stop the Devil's pain only after the Devil promised to never enter into a place where a horseshoe is hanging outside the door.

    Misconceptions

    • Some people theorize that horseshoeing existed long before the Middle Ages, and it's easy to imagine horseshoeing existing out of necessity for practically as long as man has used horses as work animals, especially to carry riders. But investigations of many important historical tombs have turned up no evidence of horseshoeing. There is, however, a lot of evidence that suggests horseshoes were in use by approximately 480 AD.

    Problems

    • The overall process of domesticating the horse has contributed to horses having weaker feet and a greater need for shoes. It is not uncommon for horses in the wild to travel around 50 miles in a day, which toughens the animal's hooves naturally. Domesticated horses usually travel much less in a day, making their hooves softer and more prone to injury.