Are horseshoes necessary

A.� Yes, horseshoes are necessary but only because modern day horses walk and run on terrain that their feet didn't evolve to deal with.

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Q.� What type of ground is ideal for an unshod horse

A.� The wall of a horses hoof grows and it therefore needs to be worn away at a certain rate to stop it getting too long, but not so much so that it wears away too quickly, exposing the delicate sole. It seems that the best surface is dry grassland.

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Q.� What is the wall of the hoof made of

A.� A horse's hoof has two main components: an upright out wall and a sole.

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The wall is made of keratin, and it's hard and doesn't feel pain, making it very similar to our fingernails. The inner sole however is softer and sensitive. It is important that the outer wall is long enough to protect the sole but not so long as to impede the horse's movement. Dry grassland seems to provide the right amount of wear and tear to keep the outer wall at just the right length.

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Q.� But horses often walk on much harder surfaces

A.� Yes, modern day horses often have to walk on roads made for our hard shoes. In order to ensure that these hard surfaces don't wear down the horses hoof quicker than it grows, horseshoes are nailed to their hooves.

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Q.� What about horses that walk on very soft surfaces

A.� They often need their hooves trimmed to stop them growing too long.

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Q.� Presumably the sole doesn't grow

A.� No, it's a living organ too and grows constantly but at the same time flakes away.

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Q.� How long have people been nailing shoes to horses

A.� For about as long as they've been domesticated. People soon realised that the best way to extend the horses life was to protect its hooves from wear and tear.

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The first horseshoes were made from plants and woven plants.

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Things got a little more sophisticated with the Romans who tied coverings inspired by their own sandals. These leather and metal "hipposandals" fitted over horses' hooves and fastened with leather straps.

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By 100AD horseshoes were made from bronze and were commonly nailed to horses feet.

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Q.� Why are horseshoes perceived as lucky

A.� They probably took on their own specific value, during the Crusades in the 12th century and could be used to pay taxes.

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by Lisa Cardy