Cast Horse is a metal puzzle in Hanayama’s Huzzle series made up of interlocking horseshoes. Designed by Nob Yoshigahara in 1984, it is inspired by a Wild West tale: that of a cowboy who is said to have devised a lock out of horseshoes so that no one could steal his horse.

• BrandHanayama
• SeriesHuzzle Cast (HZ 2-01)
• DesignerNob Yoshigahara
• TypeDisentanglement puzzle
• MaterialCast metal
• DifficultyLevel 2 of 6 (Huzzle scale)

How it works

The aim is to separate the horseshoes and then reassemble them exactly as they were. As with every Cast puzzle, there are no springs or hidden catches: the challenge lies in the shape of the pieces and the paths they allow. Hanayama sums up its spirit by saying that with this one thinking isn’t enough, you also have to “wrestle” with it in your hands.

Skill level

It sits at level 2, “Easy”, on the series’ six-level scale. A good fit for anyone starting out with metal puzzles or wanting a short challenge before moving up to higher levels. The pieces have a pleasing weight and stand up well to repeated use, which is handy in a puzzle that gets taken apart and put back together many times.

The designer

Nobuyuki “Nob” Yoshigahara (1936–2004) was one of Japan’s great popularisers of puzzles and designed many of the early models in the Huzzle series.