Domesticated horses are also subject to inconsistent movement between stabling and work; they must carry or pull additional weight, and in modern times, they are often kept and worked on very soft footing, such as irrigated land, arena footing, or stall bedding. In some cases, management is also inadequate. The hooves of horses that are kept in stalls or small turnouts, even when cleaned adequately, are exposed to more moisture than would be encountered in the wild, as well as to ammonia from urine. The hoof capsule is mostly made from keratin, a protein , and is weakened by this exposure, becoming even more fragile and soft.
Shoes do not prevent or reduce damage from moisture and ammonia exposure. Rather, they protect already weakened hooves. Further, without the natural conditioning factors present in the wild, the feet of horses grow overly large and long unless trimmed regularly. Hence, protection from rocks, pebbles, and hard, uneven surfaces is lacking. A balanced diet with proper nutrition also is a factor.
Without these precautions, cracks in overgrown and overly brittle hoof walls are a danger, as is bruising of the soft tissues within the foot because of inadequately thick and hard sole material. Horseshoes have long been viewed as an aid to assist horses' hooves when subjected to the various unnatural conditions brought about by domestication, whether due to work conditions or stabling and management. Many generations of domestic horses bred for size, color, speed, and other traits with little regard for hoof quality and soundness make some breeds more dependent on horseshoes than feral horses such as mustangs , which develop strong hooves as a matter of natural selection.
Nonetheless, domestic horses do not always require shoes. When possible, a "barefoot" hoof, at least for part of every year, is a healthy option for most horses. However, horseshoes have their place and can help prevent excess or abnormal hoof wear and injury to the foot. Many horses go without shoes year-round, some using temporary protection such as hoof boots for short-term use.
Shoeing, when performed correctly, causes no pain to the animal. Farriers trim the insensitive part of the hoof, which is the same area into which they drive the nails. This is analogous to a manicure on a human fingernail, only on a much larger scale. Before beginning to shoe, the farrier removes the old shoe using pincers shoe pullers and trims the hoof wall to the desired length with nippers, a sharp pliers-like tool, and the sole and frog of the hoof with a hoof knife.
Shoes do not allow the hoof to wear down as it naturally would in the wild, and it can then become too long. The coffin bone inside the hoof should line up straight with both bones in the pastern. If the excess hoof is not trimmed, the bones will become misaligned, which would place stress on the legs of the animal.
Shoes are then measured to the foot and bent to the correct shape using a hammer and anvil, and other modifications, such as taps for shoe studs , are added. Farriers may either cold shoe, in which he bends the metal shoe without heating it, or hot shoe, in which he places the metal in a forge before bending it.
Hot shoeing can be more time-consuming, and requires the farrier to have access to a forge; however, it usually provides a better fit, as the mark made on the hoof from the hot shoe can show how even it lies. It also allows the farrier to make more modifications to the shoe, such as drawing toe- and quarter-clips. The farrier must take care not to hold the hot shoe against the hoof too long, as the heat can damage the hoof.
Hot shoes are placed in water to cool them off. The farrier then nails the shoes on, by driving the nails into the hoof wall at the white line of the hoof. The nails are shaped in such a way that they bend outward as they are driven in, avoiding the sensitive inner part of the foot, so they emerge on the sides of the hoof.
When the nail has been completely driven, the farrier cuts off the sharp points and uses a clincher a form of tongs made especially for this purpose or a clinching block with hammer to bend the rest of the nail so it is almost flush with the hoof wall.
This prevents the nail from getting caught on anything, and also helps to hold the nail, and therefore the shoe, in place. The farrier then uses a rasp large file , to smooth the edge where it meets the shoe and eliminate any sharp edges left from cutting off the nails. Mistakes are sometimes made by even a skilled farrier, especially if the horse does not stand still. This may sometimes result in a nail coming too close to the sensitive part of the hoof putting pressure on it , or a nail that is driven slightly into the sensitive hoof, called quicking or nail pricking.
This occurs when a nail penetrates the wall and hits the sensitive internal structures of the foot. Quicking results in bleeding and pain and the horse may show signs of lameness or may become lame in following days. Whenever it happens, the farrier must remove the offending nail. Usually a horse that is quicked will react immediately, though some cases where the nail is close to sensitive structures may not cause immediate problems.
These mistakes are made occasionally by anyone who shoes horses, and in most cases is not an indication that the farrier is unskilled. It happens most commonly when horses move around while being shod, but also may occur if the hoof wall is particularly thin common in Thoroughbreds , or if the hoof wall is brittle or damaged. It may also occur with an inexperienced or unskilled horseshoer who misdrives a nail, uses a shoe that is too small, or has not fitted the shoe to the shape of the horse's hoof.
Iron age horseshoe and its derivatives. (Book, ) [theranchhands.com]
Occasionally, manufacturing defects in nails or shoes may also cause a misdriven nail that quicks a horse. However, the term "farrier" implies a professional horseshoer with skill, education, and training. WorldCat is the world's largest library catalog, helping you find library materials online.
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The E-mail Address es field is required. Please enter recipient e-mail address es. One such horseshoe was found in England at the Sheepen Farm site of Camulodunum. The latest date for this horseshoe could be A. The Sheepen horseshoe is almost exactly the same shape, size, and weight as the horseshoe at the Sam Noble Museum.
One of the only differences is that the shoe from England has a caulkin, a bent piece of metal at the end of the horseshoe. Caulkin were used to give the horse traction on slippery terrain. Figure 2 Modern recreation of Roman horse equipment. To create a horseshoe during the Iron Age, a standard sized bar of iron was used that measures from. The Sam Noble horseshoe is. The bar of the shoe is bent around until the two sides are parallel, making the characteristic horseshoe shape.
The Iron Age horseshoe also has caulkin, although there is no set type of caulkin shape in these shoes. Each side of the horseshoe has three nail holes, which can also be seen on the Sam Noble example. Figure 3 Roman Iron Age Horseshoes with caulkin.