Megasus Horserunners

The steel horseshoe, which has been used for centuries, has been reinvented by an Austrian company.

Having iron plates slapped on the bottom of your feet would make walking and running pretty uncomfortable, and one Austrian startup believes it doesn't do horses much good either. The team behind Megasus Horserunners has launched a crowdfunding campaign for a horseshoe alternative it says will allow for more natural hoof movements, and can be easily clipped on and taken off as required.

The key argument the Megasus team makes against your traditional iron horseshoe is based on the way that a hoof responds to the terrain underfoot. It says that a common misconception about hooves is that they only move on a horizontal plane, when its own research into the matter has shown that the hoof can actually move vertically to compensate for uneven ground.