Just a horseshoe, but how old?

[fivepak]

I know it's just a horseshoe, but as it's only my second time out with the MD and the first time was on my back yard, I think it's cool to find anything old. This one doesn't look like any modern shoe I've seen. Does anyone have any idea how old this might be by the shape?

 

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[DCMatt]

Hard to say... It doesn't look like it was in the ground very long. And it is so small! Could it be a boot heel plate?

DCMatt

 

[Davers]

It is pretty small, with lots of nail holes , IMO

 

[duggap]

Hard to say... It doesn't look like it was in the ground very long. And it is so small! Could it be a boot heel plate?

DCMatt

I'm with you. It doesn't exactly look like a horse shoe.

 

[2571]

I'm city kid. Do they shoe miniature horses? They're not much bigger than dogs.

 

[el remolino]

It looks really old to me. I have probably 20 hand forged shoes from 1882 railroad labor camp and it resembles them. It doesn't look machine made in my opinion. It could possibly be for a burro or a young horse. I am not the horseshoe authority but I have probably picked up close to 1,000 shoes here on the ranches I work and it looks like a hand forged shoe to me.

Nice find.

 

[BosnMate]

Back when I was young and dumb I used to shoe horses. And yes, that is a horse shoe, note the four nails on each side that end before the the turn to the heel, and note also there is a toe clip. Foals are never shod, it's not for young horses, it's a front shoe for a pony. When I was learning to shoe horses, there was a fellow locally that had a miniature stage coach pulled by Shetland ponies, and he'd take kids for rides, and be in parades etc. He would bring them to the school to be shod and we couldn't turn him down. I had the misfortune of shoeing some of his ponies, and I'm 6'2" so that was not any fun. So, yes, it's a horse shoe, and yes, it's hand forged because they don't mass produce shoes that small. Not to many ponies are shod, so for a horse shoe, yours is relatively rare, but also relatively modern and is mostly a conversation piece. Value wouldn't be much.

 

[fivepak]

Thanks for the replies, all. It was found along a stone wall that's now heavily wooded. I figure it hasn't seen horses or ponies in a long time. I didn't think it would be worth anything. I'm brand new to MD'ing and just think digging up anything old is cool.

 

[BosnMate]

fivepak, You asked about the age of your pony shoe. I remember that after WWII Shetland ponies became a fad item, times were good, people had extra money, and they were buying those ponies for big bucks. That might have lasted 10 years, I don't remember, but I remember the stage coach was around the end of the Shetland popularity, and that was 1958 or 59. When everyone that wanted a pony got one, the bottom went out of the prices, and some people that were heavily invested really took it in the shorts. I remember one place whose white board fences and irrigated pasture went to pot, basically weeds and splinters. Those ponies really never have gained back their popularity, so my swag on the age of the shoe would be sometime in the late '40's through the 50's. Another thing, unless they were being used for something special, like pulling a miniature stage coach, ponies were never used to the point they really needed shoes, and that holds for the latest fad, the miniature horse, I don't think that even little kids ride those, so for the most part those horses don't get used enough, if at all, to require shoeing. Usually they need to have their feet trimmed because the lack of use doesn't keep the hoof growth wore down, and the excess hoof wall needs to be cut off. That's about as close as I can come up with a date on your shoe.

 

[OldJerseyGirl]

I agree with Bosnmate. I had a beautiful black shetland pony in the 50's and a nice little pony cart (still have the cart). We only kept the front feet shod and then only because we used him on the road sometimes. Most of the time we just kept him trimmed. Not that it matters, but it looks like a front shoe to me. Back shoes are narrower. It is cute and I would put it over a door for luck! Do you agree Bosnmate, you know more than I do about front and back shoes.

 

[fivepak]

I may just put it over the door to my shed.

 

[Chug And Red]

You need to rotate the picture So Your Luck Does not run Out Chug Great Find it is Small

 

[BosnMate]

I agree with Bosnmate. I had a beautiful black shetland pony in the 50's and a nice little pony cart (still have the cart). We only kept the front feet shod and then only because we used him on the road sometimes. Most of the time we just kept him trimmed. Not that it matters, but it looks like a front shoe to me. Back shoes are narrower. It is cute and I would put it over a door for luck! Do you agree Bosnmate, you know more than I do about front and back shoes.

Yes, it's a front shoe.
This is a front shoe.
This is a hind shoe. Beside the different shapes, the hind foot is a size smaller than the front foot.