Horse shoe screw in spikes

[bkristof]

another item of the man of mystery objects; me

I was rold these are spikes who can be screwed in a horseshoe for winter.

(i gonna be honest that i doubt that).

Can it be?

[petrick]

hi kris,

Would like to see those horseshoes!!!! Never in your life mate. They might be for a tripod ore something.

coo-ee

patrick

[harribobs]

a tripod sounds like a good idea

they look like adjusting screws to get an instument level

chris

[Tom Morgan]

They look like horseshoe studs to me, pals. They were used to improve traction on hard road surfaces in icy conditions. We don't see horses pulling heavy loads these days, but ice studs were part of the kit. A bit of googling shows that you can still get them. Here's a picture of a modern one from a firm which supplies about a dozen different patterns.

[PhilB]

The accompanying shots are of a horseshoe from Mouquet Farm. The farmer assured me it was off a "cheval d`artillerie". It still has the spike in one side and the hole for the other spike is clear. The hole:-

[PhilB]

And the spike:-

[PhilB]

And the reverse of the spike:-

[Tom Morgan]

The company I referrred to earlier makes an exactly similar stud referred to as a "small square road-stud".

Tom

[bkristof]

Amazing!!!

thanks lads.

i don't think it is possible to tell if it is British or German or whatever.

But still i am very suprised the story is correct.

Thanks all!

[Mike_H]

Kris

The nails were sometimes known as "Forst Cogs"

M

[Mike_H]

Or even "Frost Cogs" when the typo bug isn't about!!!

M

[KONDOA]

I don't think it is possible to tell if it is British or German or whatever.

With a thread guage you may be able to estimate the pitch and angle (albeit rusty) this will give a fair indication of metric or English threading.

If the thread is slightly tapered as it appears in the photo, check for a pipe thread pitch.

It could , if metric, be any but English or American.

Roop

[PhilB]

I might add gents, that my shoe has 4 threaded holes, each between 10 and 13mm diam and the square head is 13mm wide. So a full set of spikes would be 16 per horse!

Here`s a shot of the threads in a front hole. Any guess as to nationality? Phil B

[David T. Spurr]

My father was a Canadian in the British army in World War I.

He was a Veterinary Officer in the 124th Brigade - RFA which was a

unit of artillery in Maj. Gen. H. Bruce William’s 37th Div. He told me that

the ammunition would be taken up to the gun line on pack horses at night.

In the winter studs were used on the shoes of the horses. During the day the

horses would be tied up to a line and they would get excited with all the

noise and would dance around and kick one another. The studs would have

to be taken out in the morning and replaced in the evening. This was a lot

of extra work for the battery farrier sergeant and his crew of shoeing smiths.

But it was necessary to prevent the horses from injuring themselves.

David Spurr

[bkristof]

That makes a lot of sense david!

[petrick]

i am baffled they really excisted,

I can imagen that it would be hard replacing them after wear. Most also reek havoc on hoofs when they were worn for longer times. Their you see you learn more evry day. still i wont put them under my filly.

coo-ee

patrick

[KONDOA]

Any guess as to nationality?

Looking at all the additional photos submitted I can be 99% sure these are British Standard Whitworth threads.

Roop

[carninyj]

NI, due to the backwardness of the economy, used heavy horses up to WW2 and I've seen spikes like these. The shoes (rear?) of heavy horses here had a square hole in which the plug was inserted. I've never seen the screw-in type. Are they unique to the military?

Regards

Carninyj

[truthergw]

I was rather hoping that I wouldn't have to show my age, but here goes. Just after the Second World War, petrol etc was still rationed and heavy horses were still being used for haulage in cities and on the land. Most people's milk would have been delivered by lighter horses. Any small boy would have known what these were and in my part of Scotland they were known as " coggies" or "cogs".

So, not rare, not that old.

[Tom Morgan]

Two comments on points raised in the thread so far. According to the web-site where I found the illustrations of modern studs, they must be removed from the shoes when not needed - i.e. when the horse is back in its stall. This fits in with David's father's observations.

And Phil, the information given next to the picture of the little square stud (like the one in your relic shoe) says that this type should only be fitted to the inside of the shoe, not all the way round. Could this be why there are unused holes in the shoe you found?

Interesting stuff

Tom

[bkristof]

Interesting stuff

And it all started with a question of identification....

[PhilB]

Could be, Tom, though I can`t see why! Perhaps some of the above gents may know if they were for "all round insertion" or not? Phil B

[truthergw]

Not all round, which would have been heavy, but equally spaced for balance.

[KONDOA]

The most probable reason for fitting studs on the inside of the shoe rather than all round is how the weight of the horse is carried on each foot.

If all studs were fitted the weight on each stud may well bend the shoe and damage the hoof and tendons of the horse. The weight in this scenario would be transferred in to the hoof edge also allowing build up of material on the hoof bottom.

By fitting to one side it would provide grip by indenting into the ground but allow the weight of the horse to be spread evenly on the reamaining shoe whilst also keeping the hoof clear of accumulations which could lame the horse.

The main thing being in limiting the damage to the hoof which could take a long time to put right.

Roop