Pre-Roman Celtic iron horseshoes were known to exist as early as 50 BC, however the practice of shoeing horses did not become common-place until after AD 400. The term 'farrier' used to refer to a horse doctor and has only been used in the last 100 years to describe someone who makes horseshoes.
The first written record of iron horseshoes appears in
910. when they are described as 'crescent figured irons and their nails'.
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