Horse Shoes

The larger horse shoes come from Mali. The right hand one is old. It would be difficult to date but may well be 100 or more years old.

The one of the left is made from iron bars used in construction. The twisted iron has not been beaten out and its crenelated edge can be clearly seen.

The two smaller horseshoes were made in Dorset in about 1956 by a village blacksmith especially for myself and my sister. We were not very old and I will never forget the sight of the roaring fire and the sound of the bellows and this huge man banging the red-hot iron with his hammer shaping it so masterfully into a horse shoe. He made these tiny shoes to show us how skilled he was. I was enchanted. I believe they have a place here.

The small shoes are 1” (2.7 cm) the large shoes from Mali are 4” (10 cms) across.