Read an old vet journal that said draft horses used to get shod with shoes weighing over 5 pounds each

Found it in a box of my grandpa's stuff. He was a farrier in the 50s. The journal said they'd make them from bar stock right at the farm. Can't imagine shaping that much steel on a portable forge. Makes our modern keg shoes look tiny. Anyone here ever worked on a true draft horse with shoes that big?

4 comments

4 Comments

paigep852mo ago

My uncle had a Belgian mare that threw a shoe once. We found it in the pasture and used it as a doorstop for years. Thing was like a piece of industrial equipment.

marywilson2mo ago

Oh wow, that's wild! I read an article once about the Budweiser Clydesdales. It said their shoes are custom made and each one weighs about five pounds, just like your journal said. They have to be that big and heavy to support all that weight and for traction on pavement. The article had a picture of a farrier holding one, and it looked like a dinner plate! It must have been backbreaking work to make and nail those on back in the day.

anna_ellis882mo ago

Seriously, the amount of metal they go through must be insane. I always wonder what happens to all the worn out shoes, like if they just recycle a ton of steel every year. It's not just the weight, it's the constant wear from pulling those heavy wagons on hard roads. That's a whole hidden cost of keeping those horses on the job nobody talks about.

sandra_bennett5925d ago

Nothing wrong with a little elbow grease. My granddad used to make his own horseshoes for his work horses back in the 50s, said it was just part of the job. You get a rhythm going and it's not so bad.