Patent ID: 8651193

Claim:
A horseshoe shielding device for shielding a heel of a horseshoe subsequent to the horseshoe being fixed to the underside of a horse's hoof, the horseshoe having a ground-contacting sole and being of the type that is comprised of a heel, a toe and branches extending from the toe, and said branches, when the horseshoe is fixed to the underside of the horse's hoof, extend along quarter areas of the horse's hoof and terminate at or proximate the heel of the hoof, the shielding device comprising: a shielding member having a bottom and at least one sidewall extending upwardly from the bottom, the bottom and at least one sidewall defining a concave portion configured to partially receive therein the horseshoe fixed to the horse's hoof, wherein the concave portion is shaped so that when attached to the horse's hoof the shielding member covers the entire heel of the horseshoe, only a portion of each branch of the horseshoe extending along the quarter areas of the horse's hoof, and only a portion of the sidewall of the horse's hoof proximate the quarter areas of the horse's hoof; and at least one fastener extending through the bottom of the shielding member, the at least one fastener adapted to fasten the shielding member directly to the horseshoe.