Shopsmith Forums

I know next to nothing about horse shoes. I have a project that calls for using a pair of horse shoes as grips/handles and really have no idea how to find what I need.

I found a pair at Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MU7NFE1/_e ... IUZF&psc=0

Is this a size that could work as a grip/handle? Decent price? Can these things be drilled for mounting holes (each leg would need a hole for mounting it to the project)?

Are these likely smooth enough to be hand friendly or will I need to do some grinding?

Ed

I would reccomend Tractor Supply, Rural King, Blaines or other farm type stores. I made puzzles with horse shoes years ago and Tractor Supply had bins of all sizes.

I am no expert ,, I do have a buddy who shoes race horses for a living , what I can tell you is they are not hardened steel , they should be rather soft and easily drilled ,they should bend a little before they break ,,,, a file will remove any rough edges pretty easy .
If your project doesnt require metal horse shoes they make nylon horse shoes as well , just a decor thought to pass on.

https://www.canplastics.com/features/ny ... qualities/

if you ask a local vet they might know some one who has some really old ones for next to nothing , maybe even off a race or work horse .

Don't look for a veterinarian...look for your local farrier. He/she is the person most likely to have a stockpile of old horse shoes.

True but they both know every one with horses , even those who do the shoeing themselves .

Ever wonder how someone ever came to nail the first shoe to a horses foot?

ChrisNeilan wrote:Ever wonder how someone ever came to nail the first shoe to a horses foot?

If you ever see a horse(or pony) in need of a manicure, you will realize the need for 'something'. Yes they get split foot nails.

ChrisNeilan wrote:Ever wonder how someone ever came to nail the first shoe to a horses foot?

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Imagine the persons face when they worked or how many have been used ?

The Romans used "mule shoes" way, way back when. About 50 BC.

I see you got some good answers. I'm neck deep in horses here but I'm no horseshoe expert at all. We simply don't use them and neither do most of our boarding clients. We do have some race horses that rotate here for a while in the care of one of our boarders who is a groom at the track (Indiana Grand Racing and Casino). I understand that their owners feel that staying here on the farm for a while helps calm them. Those are normally shod.
I have some new shoes here "somewhere"... And I have a collection of old ones, maybe about 100 almost all of which were found here on the farm, almost all out in the fields. I've saved the old ones for years and want to make a display of them on one wall of an old small barn. All hung with the back tips up like a "U" naturally. Wouldn't want them to leak luck.
The shoes from the farm store are pre-punched and are soft enough to drill fine.


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