HORSESHOE

A rainy day.  Gloomy doomy, but the gardens and corn fields are singing.  There were storm advisories last night, but all we saw was lightning.  

Today little Buffy Baby Boo will grace our place with an overnight stay, so that means my world will be complete.  Wee puppies have special powers over me.  

Wanna share a photograph of my latest creation.  Someone very dear to us gifted me with boxes of beads that she bought at a garage sale in Colorado.  A wealthy neighborhood.  My first thought was to gift her back with something I make with the beads.  Day before yesterday was her birthday, and we asked her to stop over so I could give it to her.  (The horseshoe is a pony shoe that I bought from a gal out in Idaho.)  It's the real deal.

The horseshoe symbolizes good luck and protection.  They make unique gifts, especially for those who love to ride horses.  A pony shoe is smaller than the regular horse shoe, and that in itself adds a layer of unique.

 Primitive forms of hoof protection were used by Asian horsemen as far back as 400 BC, when they used leather and plant materials to protect horses' sore hooves.  The Romans are credited with first using horseshoes (hippo sandals) in the first century BC, using a combination of leather and metal to protect hooves.

By the 6th and 7th centuries, Europeans were nailing metal shoes onto horses' hooves.  In the year 1000 AD, bronze horseshoes were common.  The iron horseshoe became popular in the 13th and 14th centuries.  

The term 'farrier' came about in the 16th century, referring to the person who fitted horseshoes.  Modern technology is being used to create custom, 3D printed therapeutic horseshoes for healing. 

Pitching horseshoes became a popular sport as far back as the Roman Empire.  

There's a legend about the horseshoe.  It's said that St. Dunstan shoed the devil's own cloven hoof with great force and pain.  After the excruciating ordeal, the devil agreed to never ever enter over a threshold with a horseshoe nailed above it, being fearful of the crescent-shaped object.

There are conflicting opinions on the hanging of a horseshoe.  Some say the ends pointing up is said to catch good luck, while hanging it with the ends pointing down allows the luck to spill out.  Others say hanging it with the ends pointing down helps keep the luck inside the horseshoe.  Personally, I like the horseshoe that hangs with the ends pointing upward.  Kinda like a smile rather than a frown.

Wild horses don't require shoes, because they spend most of the time grazing and don't walk that much.  Work horses walk miles and miles a day, and their hooves endure the strain and pain.  That's why horseshoes are needed.  The hoof is like the fingernail in that it can be trimmed without causing pain so long as the sensitive upper half of the foot is not violated.

Horseshoe Bend
Arizona

Horseshoe Bend in Arizona has been a sacred place for Native American tribes for centuries.  The Navajo, Hopi and other tribes consider Horseshoe Bend a place of spiritual significance and have used it for ceremonies and gatherings. 

Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River has a drop of about 1,000 feet.  The river carves out a 270-degree horseshoe-shaped bend in Glen Canyon.  Its formation dates back about 6 million years.  

Famous proverb attributed to Benjamin Franklin:

For want of a nail, the horse's shoe was lost.  For want of a shoe, the horse was lost.  For want of a horse, the rider was lost.  For want of a rider, the battle was lost.  For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost.  All for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Moral of proverb:  The importance of paying attention to small details.  A seemingly insignificant omission can lead to significant negative consequences.