Horseshoe/ Culpeper

[RME]

I found 3 horseshoes in Culpeper last year and just today cleaned one up as much as possible. This horseshoe was found in an area where I found quite a few
other Civil War items. This must have been a very small horse according to the shoe measurements. Anyone on here a horseshoe expert? Does this appear to be a Civil War dated shoe or a kids pony shoe.

 

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[BLK HOLE]

Mule shoe. They are much smaller and I have dug a few in the Culpepper area.

 

[smokeythecat]

The way it is made I would say it's from the Civil War period. Style changed in horse shoes, just like they changed with clothing.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Your muleshoe appears to have a recessed channel running all along its U-bend, for the nail heads to fit "flush" into... and I **think** that means it is from sometime after the civil war. I could be wrong about that. But in my 45 years of metal-detecting for civil war relics, I've never dug a channeled horseshoe or muleshoe in an "uncontaminated" civil war military campsite or battle trench.

 

[Davers]

Your muleshoe appears to have a recessed channel running all along its U-bend, for the nail heads to fit "flush" into... and I **think** that means it is from sometime after the civil war. I could be wrong about that. But in my 45 years of metal-detecting for civil war relics, I've never dug a channeled horseshoe or muleshoe in an "uncontaminated" civil war military campsite or battle trench.

Great to know , I knew there was a reason I kept the 'Nice' Horse & Mule shoes that I found in or near Civil War Sites .

Now I 'may' be able the pick out the CW Period types to restore and tag.
Happy New Year
Davers

 

[Davers]

Your muleshoe appears to have a recessed channel running all along its U-bend, for the nail heads to fit "flush" into... and I **think** that means it is from sometime after the civil war. I could be wrong about that. But in my 45 years of metal-detecting for civil war relics, I've never dug a channeled horseshoe or muleshoe in an "uncontaminated" civil war military campsite or battle trench.

I got to thinking .

Do Civil War Era (to the best of your knowledge ) have any "recessed channel"? Or a channel just around the 'U' bend .

To the point better .

If I find a shoe with 'Any channel 'at all does that (most likely ) mean they were post war ?

Thanks ahead
Davers

 

[creskol]

The debate goes on .. and on ..and on..It is darn near impossible to date a horseshoe except for some of the very old ones. This style of shoe has been around for a long time and are still being made the same way today. If your shoe has a hand cut fuller (groove) it has more of a chance of being Civil War era than a shoe with a machine cut fuller. But even at that, many blacksmiths still hand cut the fuller.