Horse Shoes B

English Circa 1900. 6 inches (15.5cms) x 4 inches (10.3cms).
Used by pony-drawn early lawn mowers to protect lawn from 1841. This shoe was fixed to the pony hoof and screw tightened rather than the more common boots which were tightened by straps.1841 Alexander Shanks of Arbroath patented first pony-drawn mower. After that Samuelson of Banbury and Thomas Green of Leeds made wider mowers.
Probably constructed by local saddlers, the basic ‘bag boot’ featured a leather upper and sole in a truncated cone shape. The first lawn boots advertised for sale were made by Green’s in 1859 to accompany their mowing machines. The Streatham firm of H Pattisson & Co made significant improvements and produced lawn boots from 1898 in 30 stock sizes, using Cole’s patent with no upper but a strong steel plate. These were secured by a screw clamp and used a waterproof leather outer sole or motor-tyre rubber. They also produced boots with a traditional leather upper on the Cole’s patent sole. It was often the garden boys who had the task of oiling and cleaning the boots, as well as taking them for repair when the straps or soles broke.
In 1820 there were no mechanised garden tools. 18c lawns were rolled flat and scythed.
1831 pull/push 19” cylindrical mowers made by Budding and one was bought by Regents Park. Gardners Chronicle advertisements in the first edition in 1852, offered Buddings Mowers Man, Pony, and Horse pulled sizes. After that Ransomes was licenced to manufacture it. 1946 petrol and electric mowers came in.

Please contact us if you require further information.