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A horse's hoof grows continually, just like human fingernails do. But hooves are too weak to withstand the constant pounding against hard surfaces. A blacksmith or farrier is needed to trim the hooves and replace the shoes about every 6 weeks. Many tools are needed to help get the job done. more »
Horse shoes are essential to the health and wellness of the hoof. They provide a protective covering of the horse's hoof, which is essentially their nail. While proper grooming of the hoof is necessary, shoeing your horse with a horse shoe to meet their needs is just as important as cleaning. There are a variety of horse shoes... more »
A horseshoe is a piece of metal or synthetic material made to fit and protect the bottom of a horse's hoof. The material and styles of horseshoes vary dependent on the breed and size of the horse. They can also differ depending on the task for which the horse is used. If the horse is used for only light riding, a basic horseshoe may... more »
During a trail ride, the night before a show or in the middle of a lesson, its Murphy's Law that your horse's shoe is guarantied to come off or become loose at the worst possible time. How to remove a horse shoe is a practical skill every horse lover, owner and rider should know. more »
There's nothing like being at a barbecue with the grill running hot, the beer flowing cold and a good old fashioned game of horseshoes being played. It's as American as apple pie. And the best part is, setting up a backyard horseshoe area, is really quite simple. Here's how. more »
If you are riding on slick surfaces like grass, mud or deep sand, you can give your horse more traction by adding "spikes" called studs to her... more »
Even if you don't have time to fully groom your horse every day, you should always make time to pick out or clean his hooves daily. Something as... more »
Horses have been domesticated for decades, and as part of that domestication, horse owners practice horse shoeing--they put metal shoes on the... more »
A horseshoe is a U-shaped item made of metal or of modern synthetic materials, nailed or glued to the hooves of horses and some other draught animals. Like a shoe on a human, it is used to protect the animals feet from wear and tear. Professional horseshoers, also called farriers or blacksmiths (more commonly used in the UK), attach horseshoes on the palmar surface of the hoof, usually by nailing through the insensitive hoof wall, which is anatomically similar to the human toenail, though much larger and thicker.
Horseshoes are available in a wide variety of materials and styles, developed for different types of horses and the work they do. The most common materials are steel and aluminium, but specialized shoes may include use of rubber, plastic, magnesium, titanium, or copper.Catalog84>Price, Steven D. (ed.) The Whole Horse Catalog: Revised and Updated New York:Fireside 1998 ISBN 0-684-83995-4 p. 84–87 Steel tends to be preferred in sports where a strong, long-wearing shoe is needed, such as polo, eventing, show jumping, and western riding events. Aluminum shoes are lighter, making them common in horse racing, where a lighter shoe is desired; and often facilitate certain types of desired movement, and so are favored in the discipline of dressage.Evans731>Evans, J. Warren et al. The Horse Second Edition New York: Freeman 1990 ISBN 0-7167-1811-1 p. 731–739 Some horseshoes have "caulkins", "caulks", or "calks": protrusions at the toe and/or heels of the shoe, to provide additional traction.
When kept as a talisman, a horseshoe is said to bring good luck. Many believe that to hang it with the ends pointing upwards is good luck as it acts as a storage container of sorts for any good luck that happens to be floating by, whereas to hang it with the ends pointing down, is bad luck as all the good luck will fall out. A stylized variation of the horseshoe is used for a popular throwing game, horseshoes.
History
Since the early history of dom read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe
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