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Hoof History – Time for a New Story!

Oh the horrors! My friend sent me this picture when she was visiting an old castle in Europe. You can see a display of some the horse shoes used over the last 1,000 years or so for horses, ponies, donkeys, and even oxen.

The list on the left of the exhibit explains what each shoe was used for and it describes different shoes for different horse types and purposes. For example, there are plowing shoes, general purpose shoes, lightweight shoes for farm work, heavy shoes for draft horses doing roadwork, heavy shoes for carting, etc.  Aren’t Cavallo Hoof Boots fantastic? Equines get the benefit of total hoof protection – just one boot for every purpose!

Horse Hoof Boots

Yet again I ponder – how is it that so little has changed over time? Hundreds of years of metal horse shoes, as far back as medieval times, and they all look the same! Technology has advanced so much in such a short period of time and it is only recently that we can offer and produce a better product for our equine friends. Cavallo Hoof Boots are only about 10 years old (although primitive hoof boot versions were actually around even before the metal shoe – remember the hippo sandals?!).

At the rate we are expanding now,  I expect some significant advancements in the next 50 years. Will we look back and say “Can you believe we used to nail metal on horse’s feet?” Will the future of horses determine the future of hoof care? Will the future of our world determine the future of our horses? Perhaps a ‘space-age’ earth will have no need of these noble beasts. Perhaps hoof care will evolve into recyclable protective products. Perhaps the human race will spend another thousand years using metal shoes! It’s possible, but highly unlikely and certainly NOT if I have anything to do with it!

horse hoof boots

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