Oxen shoes a full set. Another pony express find !!!

[dirt diggler]

These were found at a pony express stop in WV. Over the weekend .All in one hole I dug 8 oxen shoes 4 #3 and 4 smaller ones I assume to be for the front hoofs.Since I found all of them with no nails and a visable 3 on 4 of them I can only think that someone may have ordered them an never came to pick them up since this was a known pony express stop . I gave one set to my buddies kid who now is in to relic hunting since these are a rare find to find as a set let alone all 8 of them .Thank you for lookin . Enjoy !!!!

 

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[johnnyi]

Very cool finds, and you're right about oxen shoes being scarce. I like your scenerio of how they might have been lost in "new' condition also.

 

[vayank54]

Cool find. You sure don't find them often.

 

[skalleewag]

those are off the wall

 

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Here I thought that they were broken and that's why I would chuck them to the side. Looking at your post, it now makes sense.
O.K. everyone can laugh at this Prairie boy who lives in the land of major ox cart trails.
Thank you very much for posting this. I have learned something that I should have known already.
Dave.

 

[stefen]

If you can end each day by learning something new, you have had a successful day.

Here are two oxen, common yesteryear, uncommon today...A part of the Blue Ox Millworks, Eureka, CA"

Babe and Blue are Belgian Blue oxen trained to work together in yoke. Now fully grown, they weigh 2,400 lbs. each and stand well over 5 feet tall. Thank goodness they are gentle giants! These two are the cornerpiece of a full collection of animals, including horses, geese, birds, cats, and the friendliest dogs you will ever meet.

 

[kuger]

I have found probably a hundred ox shoes and I dont think I can say I have ever found a set or even a "new", one?Great finds!!!

 

[Rusted_Iron]

I should have known this too, but didn't. That's okay, because I save pretty much everything anyhow.

Are all ox shoes made in two pieces like that? I think I have found one-piece ones, because they look much to thick to be for horses.

 

[kuger]

Yes oxen all have split hooves

 

[Rusted_Iron]

Yes oxen all have split hooves

We don't see oxen much around here anymore, so I wouldn't know, but I guess the heavy "ox shoes" I've been finding were for draft horses? That would make sense, I guess. They are definitely a lot bigger and coarser than the typical riding horse shoes.

 

[kuger]

You kind of lost me?Draft horses hooves arent split?Are your horse shoes on steroids?If so probably yes,draft horses.I find many of my ox shoes on the freighter roads,some wagons were pulled by oxen and some by BIG horses,usually 24 or more animals per wagon,so you can imagine the "hardware" laying around.Some of the horse shoes are unbelievably huge!I cant say I have seen to many oxen myself!!!!

 

[Breezie]

Dr. Scholls doesn't have a thing on you! Congrats! Breezie

 

[John (Ma)]

Great finds, when I find oxen shoes, I often wonder what it was like back in the day. I can assure they were not as lazy as our society, LOL.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Oxen fell out of favor in this area by the early 1800s. The only ox shoe I have ever found was on a Very Early site here. Found lots of horse shoes though.

 

[ModernMiner]

I've never seen those before. Very cool. Thanks for posting.
-MM-

 

[Brian(upstateNY-Central Fla.)]

Those are a cool relic

 

[Bavaria Mike]

Nice finds considering they are rare in your parts, in my parts, I have dug hundreds of them and usually toss them in the ditch. HH, Mike