✅ SOLVED Mule Shoe?

[Old Pueblo]

First shoe on the left is an actual mule shoe Ive had for a while. The second thing there is the one in question. Found it today along an old road going through these hills where there are old mines from the late 1800s. Im not sure because of the holes. Ive never seen any mule shoes with so many holes. The first shoe in the photos has three holes on each side, but as you can see, the other one is a bit different, with an extra, off center hole. I was thinking maybe it is an old mule shoe that was put to use with something else, and thats when the extra holes were added? There were other broken pieces of what I think are mule shoes and a couple whole horseshoes that were nailed together for some reason. Please let me know what you all think. Thanks for looking

 

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[BosnMate]

It looks like a mule shoe, but those holes are not for attaching it to a mules foot. Two holes are to far forward on the toe, and two are too close to the heel. Also, it's important that the nails fit perfectly in the nail holes, and the holes in the shoe have been drilled round, where they should be rectangle for a proper nail fit. I've seen shoes used for plenty of other things besides the intended use, like hinges and racks etc.

 

[BosnMate]

Looked at the picture again, there appears to be only one hole on the toe. Still not going to work on a foot.

 

[Old Pueblo]

Thank you. I knew the holes were the key to this mystery. Im thinking its just a piece of metal that kind of looks like a mule shoe.