Five horse shoes of various types mounted on wood. Four nails also mounted. Donor info - wood from Louis Reed’s blacksmith shop on Mullein Hill. Horse shoes made for various racing horses.
According to a visiting researcher and blacksmith, Ingrid Grenon (508-528-4872) of Franklin, MA, all except one are corrective shoes for racing horses. From left to right the first shoe is for a hind foot and has a trailor (trailer?) for traction in mud, the second shoe also has a trailor with a toe clip to prevent the shoe from sliding back, the third shoe is a bar shoe to stabilize the heel area (note also the squared toe), no further comments on the fourth shoe, the fifth shoe is not a corrective shoe. Note the smooth and rough sides on the nails (AB, 9/26/11).
