Random Pony Musings: Hoofprints

This is something that's been bouncing around my head as of late. Can you, in fact, dust for pony hoofprints in the same way one could dust for human fingerprints?

My gut says no, cause hooves are hard and stiff and don't really secrete oils the way human skin does....but then on the other hand, there is the frog. For those who don't know, the frog is the leathery, fleshy part in the center of the hoof, that helps provides blood flow through the horses leg. Could those perhaps leave a print similar to human finger prints? It's flesh, after all, and might secrete oils.

I'm not sure, honestly. Anyone have any thoughts or knowledge here?

Comments

[EonAon]

Reading flash fog are we??? Actually Id imagine that no they probably don't have anything like a fingerprint, but that doesn't mean that they wouldn't have tell tales depending on hoof wear and when you took a picture/inked a paper with a stamp of the hoof. I mean wear patterns on the hoof would leave marks that could be examined in all likelihood and would leave a specific design on impact,

The only issue would be that they aren't a constant like in a human since the hoof is pretty much a giant nail and that grooming would then change the outlines of wear, and if a split hoof or some other damage happened the regrow would look different than the before, let alone if the horse or pony wore horseshoes which would leave small holes and would have differing patterns left behind.

[PhycoKrusk]

Short answer; no. The frog is actually quite tough — slightly leathery — and while it can leave impressions, they would not leave discernible patterns like a fingerprint.

2573013
As pointed out, hoof wear patterns are constantly changing, and unlike fingerprints, can be identical between ponies; all you need is two ponies about the same size, tools, and time.

Consider, however, this important fact: No two ponies have an exactly identical cutie mark. Surely, this suggests that no two ponies have an exactly identical magical signature, as deciphered by extremely precise spells.

[Emeral Bookwise]

Well, if we were talking real world equines then, no, there probably would be nothing equivalent to finger prints. Equestrian ponies however are in several observable ways quite different from the ones we're familiar with. Notably their hooves seem to be at least partially flexible and capable of gripping objects in some manner.

So mostly, it probably all just comes down to individual fanon interpretation.

Even without fingerprints though, ponies being covered in fur might be much more likely to leave stray hairs behind, which could then probably be used to provide similar evidence.

[GreyGuardPony]

2573021
2573013

Both of you have good points about the wear and tear of the hooves changing the shape of possible prints. That was an angle that I didn't really picture at all. Honestly, it's really easy to forget that hooves grow and wear like that.

2573152

Yeah, the hair thing did cross my mind. Though I don't think that there will be DNA tests in either of our universes anytime soon.

You have a good point about the personal cannon interpretation thing. I ended up just saying "to hell with it" and saying that most species have tactile telekinesis that lets them grip things, and play horn instruments with all their little buttons to create notes.

[DracoDarastrix]

2573162

Well funny that you mentioned hoofprints. Have you ever watch the youtube fan created "Phoenix Wright / My Little Pony FIM - Turnabout Storm" ?

In part 2 at 15:20 (the links are below) hoofmarks are mentioned to belong to Rainbow Dash. So in this case they believed indeed you can identify a pony by their hoofprints. Perhaps you should consider it more like shoe imprint rather a fingerprint?

Part 1 -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUDfoZGhLjE
Part 2-> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s07W4-A7HQw
Part 3 (Twilight) -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNErOof3O8g
Part 3 (Phoenix) -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIvfwJTPK_0
Part 4 -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qqzgkf1tcgo
Part 5 -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIwsXWPr8ew

[Emeral Bookwise]

2573162
Well, even without DNA we've already seen examples from the show of hair/feather samples being used for investigative purposes (Mmmystery on the Friendship Express).

I ended up just saying "to hell with it" and saying that most species have tactile telekinesis

Actually that's also part of my head canon too. Mostly only to enhance the dexterity of the hooves though, since their are still purely visual examples that give the appearance of hooves being at least partially flexible as well.

I like the tactile-kinesis theory as well though since in real life mammals both hooves and antlers/horns are made of keratin. So if we are to operate under a similar theory in regard's Equestria, realizing that the term "alicorn" as used both initially in fanon and later in canon was derived from our own real world myths and legends regarding the substance a unicorn's horn is supposedly made out of. As such I see it logical to conceive that while the shape and concentration of a unicorn's horn makes it a more efficient magical conductor, but that being made of the same basic material a pony's hooves still have similar if more limited abilities (telekinesis -vs- tactile-kinesis). By extension this even further works in tandem with cutie marks, since hair in real mammals is likewise made of keratin same as hooves & horns.

Anyway, to bring this back around to criminal investigation techniques, while Equestria probably doesn't have DNA testing, they might still be able to through dweomers analyze some sort of magical structure in physical evidence which could be as unique to each pony as it is with human fingerprints --or maybe-- if ponies do exert tactile-kinesis through their hooves, that process might leave behind a unique magical imprint that is functionally like a "fingerprint".

[GreyGuardPony]

2573205

Shoe prints. That reminds me of the whole seperate debate I had in my head about ponies and horse shoes in general. Since horse shoes are nailed into the hoof in real life, I actually considered multiple other possible kinds of hoof covers since I pictured a race of sapient horses wanting hoof covers that were easier to get on and off without using a damn hammer!

I'll definitely give those videos a look though!

2573518

Man, I keep forgetting about episode. I have no idea why, but it seems to be the episode that I forget about and that blind sides me more than any other episode in the series. And it's not even really a bad one either.

Kinda glad you agree with me on the tacticle-telekenisis though. There have been times when I've been writing the Lunaverse where I've waffled back and forth on a scene cause I was unsure on how to describe how a pony was holding something. These are some of the things that get stuck in my head sometimes. ....Yeah, I'm weird.

That is a very interesting unified keratin field theory you came up with though! It does kind of make sense, since ponies are inherently magical. It might be all connected. Which dove tails nicely with the idea of magical analysis of the hair. That's something I'm going to have to keep in mind for future stories I write in the Skitchverse.

[Super_Big_Mac]

2573518

As such I see it logical to conceive that while the shape and concentration of a unicorn's horn makes it a more efficient magical conductor, but that being made of the same basic material a pony's hooves still have similar if more limited abilities (telekinesis -vs- tactile-kinesis).

And thus, when a pony uses tactile-kinesis on a unicorn's horn while it's conducting, it'd cause the unicorn to have a feedback attack.