A rare boxed set of four leather horse hoof lawn mowing boots circa 1890-1920, of a size to be worn by a pony, complete in original wooden box; sold t

A rare boxed set of four leather horse hoof lawn mowing boots circa 1890-1920, of a size to be worn by a pony, complete in original wooden box; sold together with a picture and two history sheets on these types of horse boots (4) The first mechanical lawn mowing machine was designed by Alexander Shanks of Arbroath in 1842. The machines that developed thereafter were too heavy to be operated by a man and were therefore harnessed to ponies or young cobs. With the growth of tennis, and other lawn sports, there was a need to avoid the sharp indentations made by a horse's hoof and shoe. Saddlers invented the hoof boot to solve the problem. With regard to tennis, in the early days tournaments were held in large open spaces where up to 20 courts would be marked out adjacent to one another. Therefore all the courts could be mowed and rolled in one operation before the playing nets were erected.