Do ponies wear horseshoes?

[Riverleaf Breeze 47]

Do the ponies in Equestria,wear horseshoes on any of their hooves?

[Champion RD92 8,658]

I don't know, I don't recall seeing horseshoes on anypony's hooves.

[Krall 263]

Horseshoes were shown at the beginning of one episode ("Fall Weather Friends"?), where Applejack and Rainbow Dash were throwing them in a game, but as far as I know no pony's been shown actually wearing them.

 

It's possible they're an obsolete form of footwear, or they're only worn by ponies in very specific jobs (like the military).

[Sheogorath 1,155]

I think the ponies in that realm actually maintain their hooves personally and can watch the wear.

[Demi 545]

Like Krall said, there's an episode where they play horseshoes but I don't think anypony actually wears them. The fact that they use them as such kind of also leads me to believe that they don't ever/need to wear them.

 

If anypony were to wear them I'd imagine it be somepony like Big Mac, or mainly just for stallions in the labor business.

[Eenohay 318]

Maybe they do use them and we just can't see them. I mean, we saw they do have horseshows, and I also remember them being named in some episode. Remember how they had orange ones and a light blue ones? Just so they bend with each pony colors

[Silverhoof 2,844]

Horseshoes are NAILED to the hoof. Its a rather drastic action. More a sign of human domestication/slavery than a practical shoe a pony would design.

 

When ponies need footwear, they will make shoes similar to what Celestia and Luna wear.

Edited January 22, 2012 by Silverhoof

[Zalgo 593]

They used to... When the humans ruled. Equestria is future earth.

Jk

I don't think they do

[Apple Bloom 2,933]

Horseshoes are NILED to the hoof. Its a rather drastic action. More a sign of human domestication/slavery than a practical shoe a pony would design.

 

When ponies need footwear, they will make shoes similar to what Celestia and Luna wear.

 

I agree with this. I can't see ponies nailing horseshoes to their hooves. I think the existence of horseshoes may be just a kind of horse reference by the creators.

[Ezynell 2,037]

Or it could be an outdated type of thing. Such as how noone wears bamboo sandles anymore.

[Krall 263]

I've been reading up on why horses need horseshoes on Wikipedia. It seems that a wild horse will travel up to 50 miles a day, but at a slow pace in a dry, steppe climate. This wears their hooves down into a flat, even and hard hoof. Domesticated horses are subjected to an inconsistent schedule of much more strenuous work, meaning they can't build up a hard hoof, yet have more of a need for one. Domesticated horses also tend to live in more humid climates than their wild counterparts, and the softer, wetter ground can soften their hooves and cause them to split.

 

With that in mind, it seems like only ponies that do manual labour would need hoof protection, but if I was a pony I would rather wear something like a hipposandal or a hoof boot than having a piece of metal hammered through my hoof, and it's probably possible, with proper care, for a pony to build up a hard hoof and a tough sole so they can work barefoot.

 

... I may be overanalysing this just a tad.

[chrisbiby 18]

my friend rides and she claims that it doesn't hurt the horse if done correctly (something to do with a thick layer that has no nerves in it) so with that in mind i think that they do get shod because in Stare Master there are hoof prints that look like horseshoe's and when the bunny's trample twilight she is covered in hoof prints that again look like horseshoes. Who knows maybe im digging to deep while jumping to conclusions...because i probably am i

[83awsm 234]

They are recognized in various episodes, but seem to be portrayed as more of objects than having an actual use. In Winter Wrap up Rarity mentions boots and in another AJ mentions golashes, so based upon their sophistication I don't think they'd resort to using actual horseshoes.

[Vicke 3,189]

Hey.

I think we had a discussion about if ponies wear horseshoes. And i think we reached the answer that they didn't.

 

However, in the latest episode the CMC are making a present for Cherilee and Applebloom says it needs more hoof prints.

When the painting is done we get to see it, and there are horseshoe marks on it. So i guess they wear em?

 

 

[Killian Jones 2,655]

the horseshoes are also bigger then their hooves should be. WHY DOES THIS SHOW MAKE NO SENSE?

[Swoop 2,278]

Just another one of MLP's minor inconsistencies I suppose. Since ponies never visibly bear horseshoes on their hooves, nor are any horseshoe markings ever left on the ground while walking or running, I think it's reasonable to assume that for the most part, ponies don't wear any metal footwear of the sort. If you wanted to extrapolate a little further in a last-ditch attempt for some sort of an explanation, you could say that the CMC's used horseshoes on this occasion solely for decorative purposes, but even that's quite unrealistic. Looks as though Hasbro's gone and contradicted themselves pretty badly this time.

[Tom 891]

I think Swoop is spot on with it being just an inconsistency.

[Queen Cassie 3,057]

It definitely feels like an inconsistency to me. Then again the show has been fairly inconsistent on other topics...we have candles, quill pens, and papyrus paper right next to arcade video game systems, as just one of many, MANY examples of technological disparity.

 

Frankly I'm willing to say that they still don't wear horseshoes despite this. There's too much evidence against it for this one example to claim precedent. (Much like how I still rule that the ponies have no radio technology despite what might have been a walkie-talkie and an intercom system in Read It and Weep, because we never saw that system in action.)

[SXCJ40 125]

what about in stare master, when the CMC run off, they leave behind tracks.

[Tom 891]

what about in stare master, when the CMC run off, they leave behind tracks.

 

Fair point, but I still consider it an inconsistency. A bigger one now.

[cuteycindyhoney 13,307]

what about in stare master, when the CMC run off, they leave behind tracks.

 

The trio all bounced like Pinkie Pie, and landed exactly in each others tracks! Or was that just Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell? You can plainly see Scootaloo's tracks on the left.

 

[Tupin86 195]

Well, RD and AJ do play horseshoes in Fall Weather Friends. It's probably just an expected trope that ponies make horseshoe marks.

[Eenohay 318]

I actually believe they do infact wear horseshoes wich match their coat color. In fall weather friends we see rainbow dash and Applejack playing with light blue and orange horseshoes respectively, so to me thats pretty clear

[Dark Flame 30]

i thinks its just decoration, dont make a big hoof i mean huff about it lol

[Twilight Sparkle ✨ 8,526]

There are definitely horseshoes in the ponies' world - I recall two parasprites gnawing on one in Swarm of the Century, and they were featured again at the beginning of Fall Weather Friends. The ponies don't have visible horseshoes on their hooves, but it would seem odd to me then for there to be a horseshoe-manufacturing industry then.

 

Comparing the show ponies to real-life ones, you can see that most of the ponies don't even have visible hooves (Big Mac is a notable exception) - their legs appear to end in stubs. You can't really have an equine without hooves, so this is an omission that I personally attribute to the show's quirky art style.

 

Eenohay's explanation of the horseshoes matching the colours of the ponies' coats might be plausible, considering this. Any invisibility thereof might simply be a stylistic omission - much like how you won't draw every last strand of facial hair on a cartoon human's body. This particular fan poster certainly makes it look that way (spoilered for the massive image):