Why horses need horseshoes?
In the wild, horses move around slowly, run only rarely and do not carry loads on their backs. Their hoofs develop a natural roughness or toughness that protects them from wear and tear.
When domesticated, horses often have to carry the weight of a rider and run for long periods on different terrains – the soft soil of the countryside or the paved roads of towns. Their hooves are unable to adapt to these conditions and if not protected in some way can split to such an extent that the horse becomes lame. Hence the need for horseshoes.
The horseshoes are usually made of metal and are nailed to the hooves, though sometimes they’re just glued on. The nailing is done to a part of the hoof that is insensitive to pain as it is made of material similar to that of our fingernails and if the fitting of the horseshoe is done in the proper manner by someone trained to do this work, the animal feels no pain.
Not all domesticated horses are shod. Those animals that are not required to carry loads or move around in areas which could damage their hooves are sometimes left unshod.
