A lucky horseshoe

How interesting to find a horseshoe on Christmas Island. Thanks go to “Anon” who sent me their horseshoe photos below. The horseshoe was one of a few that were found in close proximity to each other.

Select a pic below to enlarge the image and see more detail of “Anon’s” Christmas Island horseshoe.

The passing decades, amounting to more than a century, have turned a once discarded object into a little treasure; its value being a link harking back to the earliest days of European habitation on Christmas Island.

This horseshoe is a tangible reminder of when our equine friends once lived and worked on the Island. It was found in the vicinity of an area in Flying Fish Cove that once housed stables. I’ve been told that this particular horseshoe appears to have come from the hind leg and has six square nails (tacks).

As there were horses and ponies on the island they needed to be stabled somewhere. Some early, detailed maps depict those stable locations.

The life of a horse on Christmas Island may have been difficult. In the image below it appears the horse is unhappy, perhaps struggling with a heavy load that he is pulling along the track.

“Doddy” may have preferred to have a smaller rider.

Just another day at the office. 

How wonderful that this shared horseshoe find has prompted and lead to the unearthing of faded and forgotten history in the form of stable locations and photos of Island horses. The photos give an indication of the life of a horse on Christmas Island all those years ago and the memory of “Doddy’s” existence is brought back.

Do you have a Christmas Island relic or old find like “Anon” does? It may be in the form of bottles, coins, bullets, opium pipe (a holy grail) or other historic object. It can be featured in the Christmas Island Virtual Musem.