The History of Horseshoes
THE HISTORY OF HORSESHOES It's 1847 and you have to make a trip to the farrier (horseshoe maker), because your horse is in need of new horseshoes. On the way there, as you walk on the dusty dirt road, you start thinking about where these horseshoes came from, and how the farrier makes them. Horseshoes first popped up around 400 BC, and were made of a variety of materials, such as rawhide, or plants. The invention of horseshoes is often credited to the Romans, who called them 'Hipposandals.' Horsemen in Asia would equip their equestrian companions with shoes made of plant materials or hide. These horseshoes were not just used to protect the horses but were also used to soothe and help the horses heal their injuries. In Northern Europe, where the climate was wet and cold, and it was hard for horses to get a grip on the terrain, horsemen started to nail metal horseshoes made o...