History of the Horseshoe

Metal horseshoes are a tradition that began in the middle ages. Knights and Kings could very easily ride their barefoot horses into battle and their horses never took a lame step. But as these Knights and Kings became more affluent, they started to build their castles on top of the high hills to look over their land. Going down into the valley everyday to fetch their horses became impractical. They built box stalls next to their castles to keep their horses. Now, without all the movement on rocky, natural terrain, not to mention standing in their own excrement, their hooves could no longer maintain themselves. Their hoof walls grew long, became thin and weak, and would crack and chip easily. Without the constant movement on rocky terrain, their feet became sensitive to anything but soft ground. These Knights and Kings came up with the idea of the metal horseshoe. The peasants in the valley had no need for the metal horseshoe. Their horses still roamed the rocky ground and got plenty of movement. Their horse’s feet were healthy. But horseshoes became a status symbol. You were thought of as being wealthy if you were able to put metal shoes on your horses just like the Knights and Kings. And so began the tradition of the metal horseshoe...