Why were shoes invented?

because in those days a horse was a working animal, not a pleasure one.

my understanding is that barefoot horses have days when they are footy, due to changes in the grass/feed etc, and a horse in the past had to be able to work day in, day out to earn its keep.

well, that's what my opinion anyways! :D
 
In the days when the horse had to work, and cost money to keep... do you really think they would waste money nailing shoes to their feet if they didnt need them.

If you take the fitness levels of modern horses (even top class endurance horses), they will be unfit compared to say a roman horse (assuming they used shoes), just as a modern day solidier compared to a roman soldier will be unfit.
 
They were fed totally differently too though back when it wasn't super managed, sprayed pasture etc..

It was before science, technology and lots of study and general observation taught us more than we ever knew about form, function and the whys and wherefores than it was possible to know before..

I believe there is evidence the Romans used to shoe, which suggests it was due to long marches on tough ground and perhaps as a type of cavalry weapon? If the horse was taught to rear and strike out etc for battle manoeuvres, shoes could do some damage..

Just guessing :)
 
A theory I have heard is that horses were initially not shod (nor were shoes available) as they were kept in large nomadic herds. They were caught and ridden when needed.

As a result of cavalry becoming increasingly important in warfare, very large numbers of horses needed to be kept in smaller areas - so grazing was no longer feasible. The horses were kept stalled, and their feet began to suffer from unhygenic underfoot conditions. Since having a cavalry comprising large numbers of lame horses was a tactical disadvantage :D, means of protecting feet from decay and damage were investigated. Nailed on shoes are the ones that have survived and are still being used.

However, if you have enough of the right sort of land, and horses get the movement and exercise their Steppes cousins do, shoes aren't necessary. It is only the living conditions we offer them, in yards and stables, that makes shoes necessary - and indeed, having shoes means we continue to keep them in yards and stables :)

Just a theory, but an interesting one, for sure.
 
In ye olden days the horse was a working animal and was expected to work ten hours a day in all conditions, previous to that they were also war animals, and the first shoes were more or less leather boots with iron trim.
They were fed very little, and there was no understanding of nutrition, so it was pot luck.
A lot of people rode ponies, and they would not all have been shod.
Roads were originally smashed stone, probably not rolled or smooth in any way, these would have been hard on a pack horse and other animals.
Brightbay is probably right, the herdsmen of Mongolia don't shoe their ponies to this day, the ground is dry and of course it is "survival of the fittest"
 
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Very interesting, thank you. So barefoot is in response to horses not really working, then? If horses were worked harder, they would need shoes?
 
No, I don't agree with that.. Many horses are more than capable, and do very well, hunting, dressaging, hacking, eventing, jumping etc without shoes..

Environmental conditions, genetics and diet play a big factor too.. Any many many horses are only shod cos its what you do..
 
Cortez said:
Very interesting, thank you. So barefoot is in response to horses not really working, then? If horses were worked harder, they would need shoes?
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A combination of amount and type of work, stabling, limited/poor grazing, climate and terrain prompted early foot coverings for horses...predominantly in cavalry and agricultural lifestyles. Our horses do work, of course, but nowhere near as much as domesticated horses have been required to in previous decades and centuries, and our horse management has changed over time.
 
Cortez said:
Very interesting, thank you. So barefoot is in response to horses not really working, then? If horses were worked harder, they would need shoes?
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When I discussed working, I was thinking more of horses/ponies kept under conditions we would consider to be third world, being worked as soon as they could, and fed very little, no minerals and vitamins, we now know that for most horses in work good nutrition is the key.
A lot of animals were kept in town from the eighteenth century, and this went on right up to 1950's, where I learned to ride, the horses were a motley lot, they were expected to work six hours on a Saturday, with an hour for lunch, the feed was oats, bran and chaff [chopped hay], we never gave them any supplements, and they were all shod, they would never have managed six hours roadwork, as there was no management of their workload.
Places like Rockley Farm have specialised in the management of horses to work unshod, and they hunt their own horses all winter.
 
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Because horses worked increadibly long hard days on tough going and were fed cheap, readily available feed to fuel them for this. this feed was predominantly grain.

There wasn't the knowledge about nutrition that there is now and thus horses were fed diets unsuitable for healthy hoof growth.
 
mjcssjw2 said:
and who figured out you could actually nail a shoe to the foot eek!
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They might have started out with grass tips, you have to remember that in the eighteen century there was an agricultural revolution, every village had a blacksmith forge to build agricultural machinery and everyone had a horse, they used to make their own nails, and shoes, no logistics in those days!
I can just recall the local farm had four or more Clydesdales, and it was common to see them ploughing all through the winter months, usually two at a time.
Up the Dales the farmer had to rely on his ponies to transport all goods from farm to market, but these breeds were always more hardy and more often unshod.
In Pakistan and other places like that the horses are shod with car tyre offcuts, nailed on with ordinary nails, I don't suppose they use farrier standard tools either, but they adapt to local resources as must have happened years ago over here.
 
Also bear in mind many working horses were worn out by 10 or 11, and shot. So we expect our horses to go on longer, and issues exacerbated by shoeing which maybe didnt show up as much with the short hard lives of horses in the past, are now seen more and alternatives are explored.

My horses are barefoot and one certainly has days when she is a little bit sore. One however, has great big amazing feet and he's never had a sore day in his life, either when he was shod or since he's been unshod. So it depends on the horse.

The footiness stats are i think skewed by the fact that ponies are more sensitive to grass sugars, and ponies are the ones who tend to be unshod more, so you can see more footiness in the unshod population which is mainly the ponies.

When my mare got a mild acute lami attack, vet said it was a very good thing she was unshod, if she had been shod we probably wouldnt have noticed anything until some permanent damage had been done.
 
Because horses couldn't cope with amount of work v foot growth when they really were 'working'. That's my understanding of why shoes were invented.
 
The nutrition was crap they would have run out in big groups then been corralled or stalled tied in lines etc etc they had very little understanding of hygiene and thrush would have been rampant when turned away there probally had acess to the right sort of grass but once ' in work ' it would have been a bit of a nightmare.
So the demands of the work would have outstripped growth hence they leant to shoe cattle where also shod when driven large distances to market.
When shoeing started metal was a expensive commodity so they must have been driven to try shoeing by compelling reasons.
During medieval times advances in growing oats lead to a increase in the number of horses bred and the amount they could be worked so the grain based diet started and kept in pretty insanitary conditions and we were on the shoeing merry go round.
 
When cattle were herded to market (rather than transported on lorries, etc) they even investigated shoeing the cows feet, to prevent them from going lame on hard ground. The normal horse shoe was split in two, to work on cloven hooves.

If horse shoes were so wrong, I think they would have gone out of favour by now. They obviously work, doing the job of preserving horses feet. That is not to say that barefoot is wrong, just a matter of taste really. And what suits your horse. Every horse is different in conformation and type of work it is required to do.
 
lachlanandmarcus said:
The footiness stats are i think skewed by the fact that ponies are more sensitive to grass sugars, and ponies are the ones who tend to be unshod more, so you can see more footiness in the unshod population which is mainly the ponies.
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I think also there are now a proportion of people going barefoot in response to problems so they are not taking shoes off a healthy foot but a compromised one which also gives a skewed picture.

A while back I think it was the New Scientists asked the question "Why did American cowboys need to shoe their horses, but the native Americans did not?" which is an interesting take on the subject.
 
Wait is there not a 19 YO horse in the Olympics this year? How the heck that horse made it past 11 with shoes on is just crazy. He should be dead from lami and the other dangers of shoeing.

Look it, I don't care one way or another if horses are shod or not. I have a mix. But the scaremongering tactics get ridiculous. There are knowledgeable people on this board that are barefoot and don't make such assumptions. I subscribe to Rockley on Facebook and am fascinated by the work going on there. Near enough all horses at the highest level of competition are wearing shoes. They are competing at much older ages nowadays. It's for many reasons. I really would like to see horses competing for many years all year round, as they do with shoes, at the highest levels. I really would like to see that. But I don't think it's fair for people to say you shorten the working life of your horse by nailing shoes on when the evidence says it's poppycock.

Whatever happened to Simon Earl and his barefoot racehorses by the way?

The diet for best barefoot health and a serious year end year out competition horse probably doesn't help matters, but that's just guessing. And oats really aren't as bad as "big feed" companies would have you believe. Why in the world would humans eat them for slow releae energy that also has health benefits. Just sayin.

Terri
 
I don't know if you saw the fantastic programme with Griff Rhys Jones about the drovers route from Skye to Stirling, when they took the cattle to market (not sure if it was shown in England).

Anyway, on the rough, stonier tracks the cattle started to get footy and were, in fact, fitted with shoes to enable them to keep going and get to the market.

So shoes were obviously invented so that people could travel with their animals over rough and challenging terrain, back in the day when you wouldn't go 'he's a wee bit footy, I'll pop him in the stable for a while'.
 
Same reason I wear shoes..........no tarmac roads, worked etc etc to protect feet etc. Well thats what I thought?
 
Miss L Toe said:
In ye olden days the horse was a working animal and was expected to work ten hours a day in all conditions, previous to that they were also war animals, and the first shoes were more or less leather boots with iron trim.
They were fed very little, and there was no understanding of nutrition, so it was pot luck.
A lot of people rode ponies, and they would not all have been shod.
Roads were originally smashed stone, probably not rolled or smooth in any way, these would have been hard on a pack horse and other animals.
Brightbay is probably right, the herdsmen of Mongolia don't shoe their ponies to this day, the ground is dry and of course it is "survival of the fittest"
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In india they dont shoe the working horse and quite a pitiful sight! Long feet, lame and just pitiful sight, still expected to work and work.
 
Very very originally so when they kicked a man in battle he stayed down. Basically 4 extra weapons.

Later on due to the roads that were introduced and not being able to rest them if sore from the ground.

Hooves DONT WEAR OUT FROM USE !!!!!! A lot of people have said that on this thread and its worrying that that is what people sincerely think.
 
Hickman's Farriery;

"horse shoes found in ancient graves have provided evidence that the Celts were probably the first people to protect their horse's feet with nailed on shoes and the practice gradually extended through Gaul, Germany and to Britain."

As to WHY - Hickman's Farriery states, "When the horse was living in its natural environment its hooves provided adequate protection.....The wear and growth of the hoof remained balanced. But as soon as man used the horse to carry loads and pull vehicles, the hooves wore away more quickly....which resulted in pain and lameness."

Eva Meuller (as referenced by Strasser) wrote, "The invention of the nailed on horse shoe has been ascribed to the Celts, who are supposed to have been using them already in Roman times......If horse shoes had actually been in use by the Gauls, Celts or Germanic tribes, Julius Caesar would certainly have mentioned them in his book The Conquest of Gaul."

The slightly hysterical Dr Stasser writes in, 'Shoeing, A Necessary Evil', "that the horse was used and used hard by man for a millennia without hoof protection, as is well proven by ancient writings and historical fact."
"The research of various scientists shows that the nailed on horse shoe first appeared sporadically in Europe at a time when the nobility began to live in castles on hilltops...For the first time, horses were stabled - exposed to the harmful effects of their own excrement and the lack of movement (prolonged periods of reduced circulation in the hooves leading to reduced horn quality). However (with these weakened hooves) they were still supposed to carry their riders or pull their loads up and down the mountains....This proved impossible and led to the need for hoof protection....which, however, still required over five centuries to come into common use in Europe."
 
Surely part of it is genetics as well? TB's have not been bred for sturdiness, they've been bred for speed as well.

As soon as humans started actively breeding horses bigger, managing them to become a type etc, we took them out of their natural habitat and so things start to become different. The pure 'wild' horse doesn't have people on it's back, hasn't been bred as a type, survival of the fittest, etc. Any horse that had bad feet would get eaten by predators.
 
I think Tiger Tail has come much closer than anyone else on the reason horses were shod.
The Ancient world used horses for everything and there are no historical records at all which refer to shoeing horses.
The first actual comprehensive work on horses in work came from Xenophon in about 350BC. Xenophon, talks of the importance of careing for horses feet, and refers to keeping them dry, and on small pebbles, to strengthen and condition their feet.
There is a reference in the Quran 640, which some believe to be an obliqe reference to shod horses, where sparks were seen to issue from the hooves of Arabian horses.
If this is true, it is understandable that Europeans would have come into contact with this in 1095 AD during the early Crusades.
However, coincidentally, this would be about the time that Knights were bringing their Chargers, an extremly expensive horse, into stables in castles and keeps.
Because of the conditions, damp and an abundance of urine lying about, lameness caused by thrush was seen as a big problem.
In battle horses were taught to strike and to kick, so it is a small step to make the hoof a lethal weapon by tipping it with steal. Especially when one remembers that knights and their mounts were carrying massive amounts of armour.
An unexpected benefit was the curing of a lame horse by the application of a shoe. The fact that the horse could not actually 'feel' it's feet was not really appreciated at the time.
The ability to cure a lame horse with a 'lucky' horse shoe elevated the status of the blacksmith.
Horses were probably in far better fettle than the horses we have today, in as much as their grazing would have been much more suited to them and grain feeding practically unknown. They would have been smaller, and given plenty of movement.
Therefore, shoeing is a result of horses used in war, and the percieved benefits filtered through into every day use as horses were stabled and suffered lameness.
The idea that roads or increased work is the reason for shoeing is in my view erroneous. Roads have been in existance thousands of years before shoeing, no horses were worked harder or covered more miles than Greek or Roman horses, non of which were shod.
 
LIZ66 said:
If horse shoes were so wrong, I think they would have gone out of favour by now. They obviously work, doing the job of preserving horses feet. That is not to say that barefoot is wrong, just a matter of taste really. And what suits your horse. Every horse is different in conformation and type of work it is required to do.
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I think the idea is that the horse adapts its unshod foot to suit its conformation, when my horse sees one particular farrier for a paddock trim, he just lifts the feet, whizzes with the rasp and the feet look perfectly symmetrical, unfortunately my horse has a twist in his foot, so it takes him several days to recover from this treatment. When the same farrier shoes him, he spends time adjusting the shoe to fit the horse, he does not rasp the hoof and then nail a shoe which has been manufactured, without adjusting the shoe.
The whole barefoot ethos is that over years and years of "corrective shoeing", long term damage may occur which could be prevented by better management. Yes barefoot horses may have more issues, but that is because the shoes mask the problems , not that the problems do not exist.
P.S. shoes have gone out of favour with me and also the Barefoot Taliban. I do not see any point in paying for something which causes concussion and is unsafe on a slippery road surface.
 
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