Worldbuilding XIII: Horseshoes · 7:57pm Jan 26th, 2020
Since Georg has a story about shoeing, now’s my chance to lay some true facts on y’all!
Disclaimer: this is all internet and book research; if you have an actual horse and you’re considering what to put on her hooves, do NOT take my advice. Talk to an actual farrier.
While horses (and presumably ponies) have strong hooves that work well when they’re in the wild, once they start being put to work, their hooves can’t always handle the wear. IRL equines do best in grasslands, with mostly soft ground underhoof. They also aren’t required to haul heavy loads or carry around passengers.
They certainly don’t have to deal with cobblestones or paved roads underhoof, or pull plows or any of the other things IRL equines--and ponies--do.
Admittedly, not all ponies would need to wear shoes. Those with strong hooves, and those who don’t spend a lot of time on hard surfaces might not need to or want to.
Shoes can also correct for hoof defects, whether genetic or the result of an injury. Shoes also do not have to be worn on all four hooves, although I’d imagine except for medical uses, they’d typically be worn in pairs.
Historically, shoes date back to ancient times. The early forms of horseshoe were actually hoof boots, made out of rawhide or leather; the Romans had a version called the ‘hipposandal’ which went on much like a Roman laced sandal.
Bronze nailed-on shoes in the traditional U-shape first appeared around 40BCE, however based on contemporary mentions, don’t appear to have been common until around 900CE.
About a hundred years later, cast bronze shoes with nail holes became common in Europe, and by the thirteenth century, iron horseshoes were in widespread manufacture. According to Wikipedia, due to the value of iron, horseshoes were accepted as currency to pay taxes.
By the 1800s, machines were designed to mass-produce shoes which would then be fitted by a farrier to the individual horse.
In more recent times, the hipposandal--the hoof boot--has made a comeback. They come in various styles, and can be used for both temporary use when a horse has lost its traditional shoe, for medical use, or simply in place of a traditional horseshoe when needed.
When horseshoes are mentioned, what comes to mind for most people is the traditional U-shaped iron shoe. Unsurprisingly, there’s a lot more variety than that. Traditional-shaped shoes may or may not have caulks (also called calkins and calks) which are essentially downward-protruding pieces of metal either at the heel or along the rim of the shoe for additional traction in soft ground--think of them like cleats for horses. Likewise, toe clips are added to some shoes--a raised portion on the toe which helps align the shoe for proper fitment and can protect the front of the hoof. Earth ponies might also prefer them as it would give them a built-in hook on their forehooves to lift small things with.
There are also ‘rimmed’ shoes, which have the traditional U-shape with a raised rim on the inner and outer edge; this is also for traction.
Likewise, there are shoes with rubber inserts for horses that work on pavement, and there were shoes with lots of calkins on them for horses working on ice (like in ice service, for example)
Bar shoes fill the open end of the U; they’re used for heel support and in the cases of some hoof injuries.
Egg bar are similar to bar shoes, but more egg-shaped, and often thicker at the heel; they’re designed to correct for lower leg problems (navicular disease, if you want to know the specific term). Besides hereditary causes, poor hoof trimming, jumping, galloping, and working on steep hills can cause navicular syndrome.
Heart bar shoes are like the other bar shoes but add an extended plate that covers and helps support the frog of the hoof.
[Due to the way that hooves are supposed to flex on a healthy horse, bar shoes tend to only be used if needed; likewise, the frog is supposed to be pushed as a horse puts its weight on its hoof, so heart bar shoes would only be used as needed.]
There are also cases where the front shoe and rear shoe are different, such as in some walking horse shoes, and there are sliding shoes which are wide and smooth and used for drifting horses (yes, that’s a real thing; it’s actually called the ‘sliding stop’ and it’s crazy).
We can’t forget about our Kirin friends, either. While they weren’t as common as horseshoes, historically oxen were shod sometimes, and a shoe for a kirin or any other cloven-hooved animal would be similar.
You’ll notice in this case, there are two interlocking bars on the toes of the shoes to keep them from spreading too far apart; that wasn’t universal. You’ll also notice that this shoe has caulks along the rim and on the heel.
EDIT: I’ll also add, since Painted Pony pointed it out in the comments, that the shoes for forehooves and hind hooves typically are shaped differently.
As mentioned briefly above, the first horseshoes were leather, followed with bronze and then iron. Other materials have been used as well: aluminum is popular for lightness (and probably cheapness), rubber shoes are good on pavement; plastic, magnesium, titanium, and copper are also used. Wooden horseshoes are sometimes used for laminitis; I haven’t found any mentions of them being used as a normal shoeing material.
IRL, the type of shoe chosen is often a trade-off between weight and wear. Historically, the availability and expense of a material would also be a factor--back when iron was so valuable you could pay your taxes in iron horseshoes, most people would have used bronze because it was good enough.
Something that real horses don’t have to deal with but ponies might is that the wrong material of shoe could affect their magic. In Georg’s story (minor spoiler), Twilight keeps blowing off her shoes from using too much magic. There’s also the historical precedent of cold iron stopping fey, and no reason to imagine that there couldn’t be a similar principle that applies to ponies and their magic.
Given that ponies also might select shoes based on vanity, there’s every possibility that things like silver shoes actually exist, or other exotic materials. And, we’ve read plenty of fics where horn rings are used to prevent unicorns from casting magic; would lead shoes on an earth pony stop her from using earth magic? Also worth mention, Mimic wore golden horeshoes and needed them to live.
Shoes were either traditionally made locally by a blacksmith, or purchased pre-made from a factory of some sort. I’d assume, although I don’t know for actual fact, that cast shoes were generally made at a larger facility; having said that, it’s certainly possible that a blacksmith could be casting his own shoe blanks.
When a horse comes in to be shod, after the old shoe is removed, the hoof is trimmed, and then the new shoe is fitted. EDIT: This can be done one of two ways, cold-forging, where the shoe is shaped cold on the anvil or stalljack, or it can be hot-forged where it’s heated to make it softer and more pliable and then adjusted. Cold-forging is more common, because the farrier needs less equipment.
When the shoe has been sized, there are two traditional methods to fit it to the hoof; the hot- and cold- shoeing method.
In the cold-shoeing technique, the shoe is adjusted on an anvil until it fits right, and then it’s nailed on the hoof.
The hot-shoeing technique is similar, except that after its sized, the shoe is heated and briefly pressed into the hoof, where it burns in. Proponents claim that hot-shoeing not only makes the shoe fit better (you don’t want a recess between the hoof and the shoe), but that it seals the bottom of the hoof and kills fungus and bacteria on the hoof which could cause problems. If done incorrectly, it can also damage the hoof. Most farriers who hot-forge will also hot-shoe.
Historically, shoes were nailed on, but these days they can be glued, as well. If they are nailed, the ends of the nails are bend over and clipped off so they won’t get caught in anything, which you can also see in the video linked above.
In Georg’s story, the farriers have the pony to be shod leave hoofprints on a piece of paper and then they size the shoes to that and have the pony come back in for a fitting. I’m unaware of that being done historically, although such a technique certainly could be used.
In one of my own stories, Shoeshine keeps the sets of old shoes she took off and then matches new shoes to those when a pony makes an appointment; that way she’s got fewer adjustments to make when a pony comes in for a fitting. Once again, I don’t know if that technique was ever used historically, but it could have been.
I mentioned hoof boots, and that’s certainly a thing that ponies would have. We’ve seen them in canon, and there’s also at least one pony who has a boot cutie mark.
Realistically, of course, they wouldn’t have the toe bit, since pony hooves aren’t shaped like that.
Celestia and Luna wear hoof boots as part of their regalia, which could be a throwback to the old hipposandal days, basically just a fancy version as befits an alicorn.
We’ve also seen roller skates and ice skates in canon; both of those are things a pony would only want on her hooves temporarily.
Historically, I’m unaware of anybody actually putting roller skates or ice skates on an IRL equine. It’s probably a bad idea.
Sometimes, pulling horses wear shoes that are larger than their hooves, to give them more traction. This does risk the horse stepping on the side of its shoe and tearing it off, which is not good.
I haven’t been able to find any historical reference, but a shoe could be made to increase the effect of a horse’s kick. Likewise, a pony like Applejack may wear specialty shoes on her hind hooves that let her buck her trees without damaging them.
In certain applications, non-sparking shoes would be a huge advantage. For example, The Telegraph has an article about a woman who was killed when a horse in an oxygen chamber made a spark with its shoe, triggering an explosion that was heard thirty miles away (the horse also died). And in certain applications, shoes that made sparks would be desirable; a flint rock and steel horseshoes, and a pony can start a campfire whenever she wants to.
I think that as a general rule, working Earth ponies would wear traditional horseshoes, and if they had other specialty shoes (like Pinkie Pie’s ice skates), they’d wear them over their normal shoes. Military ponies would likewise wear shoes to harden their hooves.
In a town like Ponyville, where most of the streets are grass, unicorns wouldn’t be likely to wear shoes unless they had some medical reason to do so, appropriate shoes enhanced their magic, or they were typically engaged in physical labor. In a city like Canterlot, where most of the streets are paved, most would due to hoof wear and traction issues.
Pegasi would rarely be shod, unless they spent a lot of time on the ground, were in the military, or wanted to increase hoof-striking power.
Other tribes, it would likewise vary on what the pony’s job was, and how much hoof wear she could expect to have to deal with in her day-to-day life.
General shoes from all the common materials and orthopedic shoes would certainly be mass-produced in standard sizes. They’re generally measured by width, toe-to-heel, and circumference. Since any farrier would be able to adjust a normal open shoe, circumference would be the most important measurement. There are specific tools to measure hooves, although I have no idea how to use one.
Normal US sizes appear to range from 000 to 12; a 00 hoof is about 4.5 inches wide and 5.25 inches heel to toe, while a 8-12 is 9 inches wide and 9.25 inches from heel to toe. In metric, the sizes are EU 115 to EU 225, which would be 114 wide by 133 long for the small shoe and 228 wide by 235 long. I think draft horse shoes come in larger sizes, as well, although it appears that sizes 8 and 9 fit Clydesdales, so maybe not. I haven’t found a source yet that lists all the sizes, but here’s a sample chart from EponaShoe:
Source
I would assume that ponies would also have some kind of standard size chart, potentially with variations like ‘narrow’ and ‘wide’; how they would size shoes I leave to your imagination.
In Georg’s story, the shoes are enchanted for various reasons (such as to keep Twilight from blowing them off). While I’ve not been able to find any historical record of effective enchantments used on shoes in human history, I can imagine that there were ‘spells’ used on shoes historically to make them better (and to make the guy who cast the spell richer).
It’s also worth mention that individual farriers might have a preference when it comes to a brand or style of shoe; for example, the Scotch Bottom shoe for draft horses (usually only used for show these days). Historically, there were patented shoe designs, nail designs, and so forth; there’s no reason to think ponies wouldn’t do the same.
And while some of those products would almost certainly be snake oil, good designs would keep the shoe on, and that’s important.
Man, the rubber shoe looks strangely cute.
I enjoy how much work you put in to research for something that maybe in only a small part of a chapter.
Style rules,
At Hippopotamules.
I wonder if Pinkie Pie visits Jason Ogg to get her shoes redone?
Would it take long for Twilight to realise if a certain extremely heavily designed shock absorbing boot was upside down for a reason, especially if her glass of water started shaking. Gotta protect that delicate granite road surface somehow.
I bet ponies got all kinds of special horseshoes to do all kinds of work that make their hooves look like magic in the show. Possibly interchangable at a moment's notice and therefore not nailed on. Maybe even fancy ones for fancy things like picking up a teacup or eating with utensils.
Oh! Maybe even hidden mechanisms to bring out tools or hooks in hidden compartments!
I'll just add a few things. Hot forging and hot shoeing are different. Most farriers around where I am cold forge and cold shoe. With the pre-made horseshoes the farrier hammers them on his anvil or shoeing stalljack into shape. If they hot forge, they generally hot shoe as well, but not always. Also one of my friends shoes at the track. He puts aluminum racing plates ,as they call them, on the thoroughbreds because they're much lighter than steel shoes. I always thought in my head canon that Pegasuses would wear aluminum plates because of weight and because since they don't walk as much the durability wouldn't be as important. One more thing of interest. Hind shoes are shaped differently than front shoes and anyone that knows horses can pick up a lost shoe in pasture and know whether it comes from a hind or front leg.
I've actually used shoes as a plot point back in Genealogy, where Laminia wears earth pony shoes since her wing was crippled for so long, which causes a 'minor' problem when she stomps on a thunderhead. Bugzapper time.
It's amazing how much stuff one can learn through magical talking ponies, and fiction in general.
I remember reading in Call Of The Wild, they made boots for Buck (one of the sled dogs) until his paws toughened up enough to let him run on ice. Jack London spent a number of years in Alaska, so he would know. (I've read that the story "To Build A Fire" was based on something that happened to him except he survived, obviously)
Also, I've read that elephants are sometimes given boots if they have to do a lot of traveling on pavement
Given the nature of MLP there's almost certainly at least ONE pony somewhere who will only part with their roller-shoes over their dead body.
My cousin actually is a farrier as well as a rodeo competitor. I've watched him shoeing his horses, and lemme tell ya it's a pretty cool process.
I've put some thought into this, but I may have to put in some more after this, but I came to the conclusion that ponies don't wear shoes. Not normally, at least. (I suddenly have a mental picture of Rarity wearing clogs, or something analogous, to keep out of the mud.) And they NEVER nail them on.
As I see it, hooves are magical foci, like horns and wings, made of alicorn. (That's what unicorns were historically claimed to be made of, though I may change the name, if I can think of something better. Celestia and Luna were called alicorns because after they first appeared, rumors spread that they were so strong because they were made entirely of the stuff, and it just stuck.) Also like horns and feathers. And manes, too--how else could Applejack twirl a lasso with her tail? Alicorn is basically keratin, but magically infused, or at least magically-sensitive. Ponies run magic through their hooves for a lot of things, like gripping (How else could a non-unicorn use a doorknob?) so putting some things on the hoof can interfere with the magic flow, and actually nailing them on would be mutilation on par with what happened to Tempest.
As for the durability and traction issues, I'm going to chalk that up to the magical nature of alicorn.
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As far as hooves gripping goes, I always liked this theory.
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Interesting; thanks!
Coal miner ponies. Can't risk scraping a rock and lighting up a pocket of methane. IRL, probably mules or donkeys used to pull mine carts, I would bet money that they had to be shod in brass or bronze.
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At least one episode has had blatantly-a-horseshoe hoofprints, so there's that counterpoint.
That hot shoeing video is wild. Shoeing a horse is metal enough. Big oil drilling solo job vibes there
Something worth mentioning is that not all ponies would want all four shoes, regardless of anything else. If fixed shoes were the norm, I can see Rarity, Pinkie and Applejack, just to name a few, having fixed shoes on their back hooves and removable shoes on their fore. All of them have occupations that at times demand plenty of physical manipulation of objects.
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A lot of the hoof boots are. They’re even cuter with socks.
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It’s what I do!
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That sounds like a slogan!
I dunno, but I do know that in a study I came across, some military marching horses were wearing through a set of shoes a day, thus prompting the military to put some research into shoes that lasted.
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I would imagine that there are a variety of shoes for specific tasks, yeah. Anything that could be walked on and also serve as a tool might be fair game, or various clever clips and whatnot. That’s something that’s only limited by your imagination.
I think that a lot of ponies prefer nailed-on shoes, just because they don’t come off when you don’t want them to, but there would be a variety of methods to fasten shoes for ponies who didn’t want a longer-lasting solution, and there might be other attachments that could be fastened to a particular brand of shoe, or things that universally adapted. They’d also likely have at least some designs like Celestia’s hoof-boots that covered the wall of the hoof, I think.
I did put in one story that earth ponies preferred shoes to boots, because boots got stuck in the mud when plowing fields.
I do also think that earth ponies can do a fair bit of magic through their hooves, such as short-range TK to pick things up.
Now we’re talking James Bond shoes . . . maybe Bon Bon’s got something of that variety. Like a spring-knife in one of her shoes.
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Yay, more facts!
I shoulda put that in the blog post originally . . . it’s in now.
That was where I’ve heard of aluminum shoes, for racing. It might not be the only application, though--I honestly don’t know. Seems like ther wouldn’t be that much of a weight difference, but I suppose if it’s strapped to the hoof, it matters. And given the cost of racehorses, it might be worth it for that little bit extra.
I was thinking copper or brass for electrical conductivity, myself. Also, in my headcanon, aluminum is very expensive for ponies (which is based on historical fact). I agree for pegasi who wore shoes at all, durability would not be as important as it would be for an earth pony.
I didn’t know that. I mean, I saw when I was looking for things that a lot of times they specified front or hind shoes, but I thought that was only for the specialty shoes (such as the drifting shoes). I assume it’s because their fore and hind hooves are different shapes?
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I do think that the wrong shoe could cause a problem with a pony’s magic.
Also, if memory serves, in Saddlesoap Opera’s Derpy side story, she normally wears light shoes but gets shod in heavy shoes when she’s gotta fight.
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Whether or not my stories (and blog posts) are any good, you’re gonna learn stuff.
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I’ve heard of boots for dogs, but haven’t done any research in that direction. I’d believe it, though; it sounds plausible.
The best stories are based on real life. I’ve been outside (briefly) when it was cold enough that the car froze to the ground, and I’ve spent the night in an insufficient tent in near-zero (F) weather. Had to go to the campfire in socks the next morning, because my boots were too frozen to put on.
I also believe that. Surely, like horses, when they’re called upon to travel outside their normal territory, they have accelerated foot wear (what do elephants even have for feet, anyway?)
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It’s this one:
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I’ve only ever seen video, sadly. I’ve got a friend with horses who’s invited me to come when the farrier does, but so far it hasn’t worked out with my schedule.
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I have as well, and I think that they do, but my headcanon is mine and yours is yours.
I don’t think that their hooves are any more magical in biology than an ordinary equine’s, but I do think that magic flows through their hooves, especially in the case of earth ponies (for unicorns, it’s primarily the horn; for pegasi, primarily the wings; for earth ponies, primarily the hooves). I think that they do wear shoes that are keyed to their magic, which is why material choice is important. I also think that some earth ponies only wear hind shoes, to allow better control with forehooves (the nurse ponies, for example, wouldn’t shoe their forehooves unless they had to).
IMHO, of the three tribes, the pegasi wear shoes the least, and earth ponies the most. For unicorns, it’s situational and might also depend on one’s budget for hoof boots.
One good counterpoint you could make is that ponies have built things for themselves in their world, and if they don’t like the idea of nailing shoes to their hooves--if we assume that hoof wear can be a problem--they’re gonna spend whatever time and effort it comes to devise an alternative. Maybe as simple as going with the traditional Roman hipposandals but improved over time. Certainly there’s a wide variety of hoof boots available for IRL horses, so there’s no technological reason that the ponies couldn’t have followed that path.
I do think that there’s ample evidence in the show that they know of traditional nailed-on horseshoes, but as far as I know, we’ve only ever seen one shot in the show where a pony was actually wearing one.
I personally don’t like that, but it’s not an unreasonable headcanon. And in fact if you wanted to explore it, going the route of a Equestrian pony seeing an IRL equine being shod might be a good way to frame such a story and logically fit in your own headcanon . . . I’ve certainly framed stories in such a way to put my headcanon in front of readers. Not that I’d ever admit it. Oh, wait.
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It’s not a bad idea, and certainly not outside the bounds of possibility. I don’t personally go for it; I think they use short-range TK.
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You’re welcome!
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I can’t believe I didn’t think of that right away.
That’s about the most obvious reason, and ponies were certainly used for hauling mine carts back in the day.
I bet you’re right. And I bet that would be a difficult fact to pin down.
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Although I did find this, from Ultimate Guide to US Special Forces Skills, Tactics, and Techniques:
“Regular metal horseshoes throw off a lot of sparks as the animals walk over rocky ground. These can easily be seen from a distance at night and may compromise location and activity. Additionally, these sparks can start fires if the tinder is very dry. Nonsparking horseshoes made of softer metal or hard plastic avoid these problems, but do wear out faster.”
(This link may or may not actually work)
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As far as I’ve been able to find, there’s one shot of Troubleshoes with a horseshoe on his hoof.
There are plenty of other times they’re either actual objects in the show, or represented on a sign or whatnot, that even if ponies don’t normally wear them, they sure as heck know what they are.
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Let’s be honest, a lot of skilled trades give off that vibe. When I’m in form mounting tires (and when our worn-out tire machine is doing its job), it’s a ballet. Especially if I get the one-handed spin on the tire spoon just right.
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Something worth mentioning is that not all ponies would want all four shoes, regardless of anything else.
I”m with you 100%, and in fact I’ve specifically mentioned in at least one fic ponies who are only shod on their hind hooves.
I think AJ’s got four, but she’s the essence of Earth Pony, so they don’t slow her down a bit. Rarity wouldn’t wear nailed-on shoes, full stop. Pinkie has to have something that can handle her energy; whether it’s shoes or a deal with the devil or something in between, I don’t know.
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, no bad mouthing your charming stories your stories are fun to read.
Hay Hay Hay
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I appreciate that
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You are quite welcome
5193968 Oh that's neat. A military application. I kind of wonder though, how much sparks they would give off at a regular pace. Because if you're worried about the light giving away your location, that means it must be very dark out and you're not using any light to light the way. How fast could you safely drive a horse in that darkness? I know they can see well, but we can't.
idk lol
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Yes, Admiral, the front hooves are shaped different from the hind hooves. One of the forging exercises is changing a front shoe to a hind shoe. tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.BQdYK6VVT3EBcIavrLUd8gHaFF&w=231&h=160&c=8&rs=1&qlt=90&dpr=1.62&pid=3.1&rm=2
Also, I thought I'd mention horseshoe caulks. The traditional ones were just extensions of the trailers bent over double. There are also removable caulks. Also because iron/steel horseshoes are slippery on concrete and macadam, sometimes borium is welded onto the bottom of horses that frequently cross or travel on roadways. Without it shod horses walking on macadam is just like walking on ice.
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Of course that Rarity wouldn't want them nailed on! To be honest, I don't see anypony going for nails if there was an alternative, least of all Rarity and all other ponies who use pony - pedicure. That doesn't supercede her having them glued on her back hooves, and wearing boots on the fore. And most likely going for 4 glued hooves whenever she needs to dress up.
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What really confuses me about that passage is wouldn’t you also hear whinnies and nickers and whatnot from the horses, or are military horses trained to not vocalize? Or were people of that era (whenever the book was written) so used to hearing random horse noises that they wouldn’t think anything of them, but mysterious sparks would clue them in?
Although I suppose in some conditions, the sparks might be more obvious than sound; I’m thinking maybe looking down into a valley from a few miles away or something . . . I don’t know, to be honest.
Probably faster than you’d think, honestly.* Quietly, though? I have to imagine not more than a walking pace.
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*Based on my experience with horses, there’d be that one who sees a low-hanging branch and is smart enough to duck his head so he fits under it, and he knows damn well that you won’t see it before you’re scraped off his back. Which is probably another reason to not ride fast at night.
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Gotcha. So, by extension, forehooves and hind hooves might not be the same shoe size.
One other thing I was wondering, if you know--if you’re ordering shoes or hoof boots or what have you, are they normally priced per pair, or for all four?
Hah, I did know about caulks; in fact, one of my stories with Berry Punch, she mentions that her floors are all torn up because she can’t afford shoes with removable caulks. I also knew that there was sometimes stuff on the shoes to make them less slippery on smooth surfaces; Apple Honey wears a set with rubber inserts for that purpose. Borium is something I didn’t know about, though.
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I think that it’s a large part of availability, price, and reliability. Especially for working ponies (and more especially earth ponies), who want something that’s reasonably priced and lasts a long time, bonus if it won’t fall off in the field. If nails in the hoof is what it takes to make that happen, than that’s what it takes. That’s my headcanon, at least. I also think for some ponies, there’d be a lot of traditionalism--i.e., “nailed-on shoes were good enough for your mother, so they’re good enough for you.” And since hooves don’t feel pain, I guess that with traditional shoes the only question would be how often you wanted to take them off.
I might not have been completely clear in my last reply; of the mane 6,* neither Rarity or Rainbow would ever wear traditional shoes unless it were medically necessary. Or if the only way to hold stylish hoof-boots on is with a magnet; then she might deign to wear steel shoes for the sake of fashion.
I honestly think that Rarity wouldn’t want glued, either; she’d go for hoof boots that can be fastened and unfastened. They exist IRL, and while they’re not particularly stylish (because IRL horses don’t care), there’s no reason they can’t be.
*of the rest of the Mane 6, Pinkie Pie always wears four traditional steel shoes (and wears them out fast); Fluttershy wears four light shoes (bronze, maybe); AJ always wears steel on her hind hooves unless there’s something more conducive to applebucking, and wears shoes on her forehooves during plowing and planting season. Twilight doesn’t wear shoes anymore, but did back in Canterlot because of all the paved roads.
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Though i suppose it wouldn't be surprising to find a set of Neighkes tied together and hanging from a soup can line in the ghetto part of Canterlot.
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While I personally prefer traditional horseshoes and the ponies who wear them, there’s a lot to be said about a quartet of Air Secretariats.
Necroposting, I know.
One question I have is, why is it that very few ocs (including those of major YouTubers such as Silver Quill and FOB Equestria) not have ocs that wear nail-on horseshoes? I'm sure it wouldn't take that much effort to shoe the shoes nailed in without any pain or discomfort. Why would it even be a distraction from the stories they'd be trying to tell?