Horseshoe Fixation versus Hoof Colour, a Comparative Study, by five scientists at the University of Guelph, in Canada, digs deep into an old question. Some horses have white hooves, some have black, some have an assortment. Which colour holds horseshoes most reliably?
Professor RJ Runcimen and his colleagues write: “In an application that is as much art as science, it is not surprising that a certain amount of common mythology would develop. In the case of horseshoes, one commonly held belief is that black hooves hold their shoes more securely than white.”
So begins this week’s Improbable Research column in The Guardian.