(Click to Enlarge)

I wonder why they called it just Horse and not Horseshoe. After all, the puzzle is comprised by three horseshoes. If I didn't already know what the puzzle looks like, I'd say that it probably had something to do with a horse figure. I reckon "Horseshoe" would be a more appropriate title, but as we've come to expect from Hanayama, they like to keep the names as simple as possible. Anyway, who am I to question their decisions? - They've built a successful company over the years, so whatever they wanna call their puzzles, it's fine by me, because I'll certainly enjoy any puzzle they produce.

As mentioned above, the Cast Horse has three horseshoes, two are linked together and a third one, with a closed loop, is entangled at the center. The object is to discover how to remove the closed horseshoe without breaking the links, of course.

Hanayama did a wonderful job with the design. It managed to revive the puzzle and still kept it simple. I have an old design in my collection with the same exact concept, except it's made from wire. As you can see, the difference is staggering. The puzzle closely resembles real horseshoes, and although the scale is smaller, the shape is perfectly made. On top of that, the coating does wonders at making the surface of the puzzle extremely smooth and reflective. If it were for me, I would change the color of the central horseshoe to a golden tint, like they do in some puzzles, to emphasize contrast. Nevertheless, It's a great looking puzzle.

In terms of difficulty, the Horse is not considered to be a hard puzzle. In a scale of 1 to 6, it's a 2. However, like many of Hanayama's ratings, the level of difficulty is far from being consensual. I remember trying to solve that old Horseshoe puzzle years ago, and had trouble understanding how would it be possible to remove the central part. I know I'm not the beginner at solving puzzles, like I was a few years ago, but I reckon that while the movement performed to solve the puzzle is quite simple, it's not so simple to someone not used to this type of puzzles. And even if you remove the central horseshoe, you still need to understand what you did in order to put it back again... And here, in my opinion, lies the true challenge - Getting it back to its original position. Since I knew how to solve the Horseshoe puzzle prior to getting Hanayama's version, I didn't have trouble solving this one. If you're trying it for the first time, it might take you some time to figure it out.

If removing the horseshoe is a level 2, then putting it back might as well be a level 4. I gave the puzzle to a few family members to try and solve it, and even after I explained the trick, they still had trouble to grasp the exact movement. This is to show that the puzzle is not as simple as Hanayama makes it seem.

Solution: To download a solution, check out the puzzle's page at Sloyd's.


Closing Comments:

As I said, Hanayama is a master at reviving old designs. The Cast Horse is a brilliant concept and is sure to intrigue anyone curious about mechanical puzzles. Above all, don't underestimate it, as it can prove to be one tough nut to crack.

Availability: You can get a copy of the Cast Horse at Sloyd.fi for about €10, as well as all the others in the Cast Series.