Horseshoes appeared around 900 A.D. This may have been a Roman innovation, and are common at sites from the 1st century B.C.. But it is often thought of as an iron heel for leather shoes.

Circa 85-54 B.C., common horseshoes were made of iron, lightweight, and stamped from one side with a pierced nail hole. The edges of the horseshoe often had a corrugated profile, and the unfastened ends curved into a non-slip spur, which, along with the nail head, kept the horse's hooves solidly on the ground, useful for both field cultivation and pulling for transportation. This horseshoe was used until the Middle Ages. The invention of horseshoes for the agricultural revolution made a great contribution.