[NickRJ]

Hello all, I am not a "horsey" person myself but thought that someone here might be able to solve a mystery which is puzzling me. My wife and I bought an old farmhouse here in Poland back in October. We are starting to clear out the clutter from the barns, there is A LOT of clutter! Amongst the curiosities are some boxes of assorted metalwork which includes ancient hinges, nails and horseshoes which may date back a century or more. We suspect that there have not been any working, or any other type of horse, on the property since well before the second world war. I attach a photograph of some of the horseshoes that I am trying to clean up as we may use them decoratively in the future but I was curious about the projections on them. I assume they were there to provide traction in the winter snows but if anyone knows for certain I would be fascinated to know.

[Buttermilk]

Yes they are for use on snow and ice.  The turned up bits on the heels are called calkins and were also used to prevent slipping on roads, however they put pressure on the heels of the horse and were not good for them.

[NickRJ]

Thank you ever so much Buttermilk. Now I know, I have to admit I thought they looked as though they would be less than comfortable for the poor horse!