The Horseshoe Tale

By Vasily Korshun

Many people think of a horseshoe as a sign of good omen. Villagers hang the horseshoes they find above the door. This tradition can be found in English, Russian, and some Middle-Eastern cultures.
Unfortunately, there are very few horseshoe collections. Archeologists and treasure hunters alike regard horseshoes to be inferior to some of the other relics. You won’t find a lot of literature about them. But if you read the information that is available, you will appreciate the horseshoe as a credible witness of history.
I had disregarded multiple horseshoes I found while metal detecting in the Moscow region, and they were rusting in my yard. But once I read some books, I decided to sort out my collection. What I got was a historical timeline in horseshoes.

Here are the first horseshoes, dated around XI century AD. The early versions were primarily used during the winter. (Fig 1,2)

Carriage horses were forged by horseshoes for protection. Along with large amounts of pottery, they indicate increasing commercialization of the region in XV-XVI AD. Because it was found very deep in the ground, it was probably dropped by one of the early settlers. (Fig 3)

Fig 4 is a similar horseshoe, but it follows European advances by covering the entire hoof. It can be dated XVII AD.

Fig 5 is Swedish type, also used in XVII AD. It is different due to thorns at the end. It was probably lost by a delegation to Moscow.

Fig 6 is also foreign, either Polish or Lithuanian. It was found on the battlefield, where in 1608 Polish army has attempted to capture Moscow, but was stopped. The groove connecting nail holes indicates the horseshoe was made no earlier than XVI AD. The European origin is obvious due to lack of thorns, replaced by the nail groove.

In Russia, such horseshoes appeared later in XVI century. First ones were three-fourth oval with two thorns. At the end of the century the groove was implemented, along with a front thorn. As time went on the ratio of length to width increased. (Fig 7,8)

Fig 9 was used in the French army during the Napoleon war of 1812. It could have been lost when Napoleon captured Moscow.

Fig 10 A small horseshoe, probably for a pony

Fig 11 A first horseshoe showing signs of industrialization. Obviously made using industrial machinery, it can be used with replaceable screws. Additional markings can identify the factory where it was made, size (10 sizes were produced), and which hoof (front or back) the horseshoe is for.

In 1941, with the start of World War II, the mass production of horseshoes in Soviet Union came to a halt. Ever since, horseshoes are made by hand, just like centuries ago.

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Translated by Dan Osipov, exclusively for Coindetector.com

References:
1. Êèðïè÷íèêîâ À.Í. Ñíàðÿæåíèå âñàäíèêà è âåðõîâîãî êîíÿ íà Ðóñè 9&13 ââ. // ÑÀÈ. Âûï. Å1&36. Ë., 1973.
2. Baxa P. Podkuvanie na Slovensku v 11&13 Storochi // Slovenska Arheologica. XXIX&2. Bratislava, 1981.
3. Äâóðå÷åíñêèé Î.Â. Ñðåäñòâà è ïðèåìû êîâêè ëîøàäåé â Ìîñêâå è Ìîñêîâñêîé çåìëå (â 13&19 âåêàõ) // Àðõåîëîãèÿ Ïîäìîñêîâüÿ. Ì., 2004.