What was meant in the movie Fort Apache when Henry Fonda said he would “travel by shank’s mare?”

What was meant in the movie Fort Apache when Henry Fonda said he would “travel by shank’s mare?”

James Andrews

Chickasaw, Alabama

A shank refers to the lower part of a person’s leg, from the knees to the ankle. So “traveling by shank’s mare” is a humorous way of referring to walking. Other similar expressions were “shank’s pony” and “horse with 10 toes.”