Abstract: A horseshoe nail including a head and a shank having a point, the shank including planar front and rear faces and side walls connecting the front and rear faces at pairs of front and rear corners. The shank further includes an upper shank portion adjacent the head, a lower shank portion at an end of the shank distal from the head, and a middle shank portion between the upper and lower shank portions. The corners of the middle shank portion are rounded to define an arcuate transition between the front and rear faces and the side walls wherein the arcuate transitions provide for a reduction in stresses exerted on a hoof wall when a nail is inserted therein. In addition, the upper shank portion is provided with sharp edges or corners to provide a full width cross section for a portion of the nail in contact with the horseshoe at the junction between the horseshoe and the hoof to provide increased resistance to shearing forces.