Shoe the Colt Lyrics
Take your baby's foot like a little hoof and tap away like a blacksmith. Here a nail, there a nail, and still the horse has no shoes.
Shoe the Colt
Shoe the colt,
Shoe the colt,
Shoe the wild mare;
Here a nail,
There a nail,
Yet she goes bare.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/shoe-the-colt/
- Type
- Action Songs, Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Chanted foot game
- Best for ages
- 6 months to 3 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Shoe the colt, shoe the colt | Hold your baby's foot and pat the sole. |
| Shoe the wild mare | Pat the other foot. |
| Here a nail, there a nail | Tap the heel, then the toes. |
| Yet she goes bare | Wiggle the bare toes and tickle. |
What Does Shoe the Colt Mean?
A colt is a young male horse and a mare is a female horse. Shoeing means fitting iron horseshoes with nails. The joke is in the last line: after all that hammering, the mare still goes bare, without shoes, just like the baby's foot.
History and Origin
This version comes from The Little Mother Goose (1912). James Orchard Halliwell noted that the rhyme was said while patting a child's foot. Every village once had a blacksmith, so children knew the sound of a horse being shod.
Learning Activities
- Shoe time: say it while putting on socks and shoes.
- Horse sounds: click your tongue like hooves after the last line.
- Pair it: follow it with Robert Barns, Fellow Fine, another blacksmith foot rhyme.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a colt?
A young male horse.
What does yet she goes bare mean?
She still has no shoes on.