For Luck Only

Horseshoes are an international symbol of all things horsey. They're great decorations, which is funny to me, given their intended location.

That aside, I've decided to do a quick blurb on the purposes of horseshoes, and why, as a general rule, I don't believe in them.

Horseshoes are intended to protect a horse's feet. Back in the day when horses were generally kept in stalls and then were taken out to ride or pull carriages over rough cobblestones, it made sense to protect your horse's feet this way. Horses are not meant to walk on man-made streets; it's wears down their feet and then you get a lame horse. It would be like intentionally driving a car over a patch of tacks. The effect was not quite as immediate, but would still leave you without a horse sooner rather than later.

Along with this, horseshoes can also be corrective. I've seen shoes that cover the entire surface of the horse's foot, with pads and gels and lifts and all sorts of expensive contraptions that help a horse's joints, heel, frog, etc., stay in the right place and allow the horse to keep moving.

However, what they don't tell you is that a horse's foot is made to flex. Every time a horse steps down, the hoof spreads out just a little bit from the weight of his body. This flexing actually helps the blood to circulate through the horse's feet and legs. Shoeing inhibits that flexing motion and actually reduces the sensation that the horse has in his foot. Sometimes (so I've heard, though I've never been able to witness this) when a horse has shoes removed, he'll prance around a bit because he's feeling a pins-and-needles sensation in his feet as the blood is able to circulate freely once again.

Also, because shoes artificially elevate the horse's feet off the ground, the frog (the sensitive part in the middle of the foot) retracts somewhat and gets soft, so that eventually it is painful for the horse to walk around on some types of ground without shoes.

In general, I believe in doing things as naturally as possible. Mustangs don't wear shoes, and their feet generally do just fine. The long edges get chipped off as they walk and run over rocks; they end up with perfectly shaped feet just by doing what they do. Most domestic horses don't have the advantage of miles of territory over which to roam, so they need to be trimmed periodically. Fortunately, there are barefoot trimmers who specialize in trimming without shoeing. And when they're done, your horse looks nice and purdy again. It's like a horsey manicure, really. I'm a little jealous.

Okay, enough with the nerdy stuff. On to the really important question:

Horseshoes are a symbol of luck, but how does one care for said luck? I've heard that the horseshoe needs to be faced points-up, thus creating a well and keeping the luck safely inside. I've also heard that the horseshoe needs to be faced points-down, creating a waterfall of luck underneath it and pouring the luck on the house in which it resides. How do you like your horseshoes?