Equine Memorial ideas (what to do with horse shoes?)

[Edre]

An unfortunate first-topic starter for me…

I recently lost my horse very suddenly. I had the presence of mind to request assistance in collecting some mane and tail. The clinic he was at also pulled his shoes for me. I know there are several options for things to do with hair (I’m mulling those over) but I’ve never really seen anything done with shoes.

Does anyone have any experience or thoughts for something to do with those?

Thank you in advance. xx.

[RosePrincess]

I had my horse’s shoes welded together to make a hook. Her leather halter with her nameplate is hanging on it in my bedroom now.

I’ve seen people string ribbon or twine through the nail holes and hang it on a wall, sometimes after turning it into a picture frame or engraving the horse’s name into it. I’ve seen them painted or turned into horseshoe art for the garden. One person I know had the shoe framed with a really nice black and white portrait of their horse. I know someone else that made a cement stepping stone for their garden and put the horseshoe in that and wrote their horse’s name in the wet cement - it’s a nice little gravestone of sorts.

[Guilherme]

Google “horse shoe art” and you will get, literally, thousands of ideas.

G.

[HappyTalk]

Get a do it yourself stepping stone kit and set them in in. Display in your garden.

[Edre]

Thanks for all of your lovely ideas, everyone. I hadn’t thought about any these. @keysfins, the tree of life set in the shoe is beautiful. What a lovely memorial.

[keysfins]

@Edre

Thanks for all of your lovely ideas, everyone. I hadn’t thought about any these. @keysfins, the tree of life set in the shoe is beautiful. What a lovely memorial.

Thank you, I really love it, and it has the added meaning that two people I care about created it!

[cayuse]

Edre, condolences on your loss.
My farrier made bookends out of one of my horses shoes. My other gelding’s shoes are going to be nailed to the ceiling in our tack room. They need a unique place because he was an off beat kinda guy. It feels right to put them there.

[Edre]

@cayuse, how did the bookends come out? I’m trying to picture what they look like (one thing I have in abundance is definitely book shelves, so that would be a nice way to situate them) when they’re set up as bookends.

[PNWjumper]

My husband (when he was still my boyfriend) took a picture of my horse and I jumping, had it framed, and had the guy mount his four horseshoes at the corners of the frame. It was lovely!