There were attempts to shoe the ponies with texture, plant, and leather, but these horseshoes were ineffective.
No earlier than the fifth century AD did metal spouts become commonplace. After all, why do miniature horses need metal shoes? How have wild animals ever survived without it?
In contrast, a wild, homegrown pony has a very different kind of existence. For humans, keeping a captive animal productive is like labor, and so is physically relocating a person.
Humans weigh just a fraction as much as ponies, yet that’s still enough to slow the rate at which their corneal layers are worn away.
Horseshoes play a starring role because constant contact with hard surfaces gradually wears away the corneal layer. The primary habitats of wild ponies are in areas with soft soil.
Most of the time, they’ll keep going straight across the grass. More so, a free creature may choose its own path across the world.
They are able to avoid a difficult surface, and no one will force them to do the opposite.
Pony owners should thus equip their equine with protective horseshoes.
