Every discipline and to some extent, every horse, has different shoeing requirements. These needs vary widely depending on the sport. Dressage, jumpers, barrel racing, and cross country horses all travel on different footing, whether it’s grass, rocky ground or a dirt arena floor. Therefore, shoeing requirements will change for each sport. The variety of shoes are designed for different types of traction.
What is Hot Shoeing? Hot shoeing is a method of applying a horseshoe that has been heated in a forge, to the horse’s hoof. Hot steel is much easier to work over using a hammer than it is to shape cold steel. Hot shoeing generally results in a better fit than cold shoeing, but not all farriers…
Composite shoes are made from plastic, rubber, and synthetic polymers. They sometimes have a metal core inside them for extra stability. Some are meant to be nailed on and some are meant to be glued on. They provide a superior level of shock absorption not found in traditional shoes. It is also true they are…
Lameness in Horses Therapeutic shoeing consists of horseshoes with added changes engineered in, to address an ongoing condition. The shoes can be applied to help reduce or correct lameness, conformation challenges or changes to the hoof over time. Depending on the condition Therapeutic shoes can be a temporary tool to recovery or a permanent solution…
The Importance of Hoof Trimming Barefoot hoof trimming is a method that focuses on maintaining a horse’s hooves in their natural state without the use of shoes. The ability to keep a horse barefoot depends on three factors; genetics, environment and job. Two of these can be altered somewhat but one cannot. Good hoof trimming is…
