A single missing horseshoe nail can halt an entire journey.

Evidence

One of Birdie’s shoes is loose, and not a nail is to be got here, or can be got till I have ridden for ten miles up the Pass. — Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 174

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the ‘for want of a nail’ proverb on how small logistic failures cascade. — connects to: A missing horseshoe nail can slow a mountain journey to a three-hour foot pace — Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 176
• SHARE: A horse-travel enthusiast would enjoy this literal, lived version of the old proverb.

Broader Connections

• A missing horseshoe nail can slow a mountain journey to a three-hour foot pace #expands (1.00) — Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 176