Unshod hooves with tender feet make frontier horses useless for travel

Evidence

I keep two horses in the corral so as to be able to explore, but except Birdie, who is turned out, none of the animals are worth much now from want of shoes, and tender feet. — Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 222

Categorization

• CANDY: One practical sentence that explains an entire everyday constraint of 1870s travel: no horseshoes, no exploring.