Modern warfare for the common soldier does not need the noble horse. That’s not to say that there are no times when a special forces soldier in an unusual place might find a local animal to help get the job done. For most, though, the horse in battle is a thing of the past. To honor that past and the role that horses played in it in America, the United States Army still maintains several horse detachments manned by modern soldiers.

In some places, horses still serve an important role in the armed forces. I have a great farrier friend named Guy Karsh who shoes all the Israeli military horses. These horses play an integral part in the armed forces there. Karsh employs some special shoeing to protect these horses and the soldiers in that region. He employs an ingenious design that allows the soldiers to cover the sole of the foot with a solid hospital plate to protect it from the bent and welded nails called caltrops that are designed to stop the horses from advancing.

Guy Karsh creates a hospital plate-style package (left) for Israeli mounted police to protect the hoof from weapons such as caltrops (inside shoe), which are…