The Time and Place for a Shoe

Bare Hoof

Bare Horse Hoof

Most horses’ feet will flourish when barefoot if they are given well-rounded nutrition, a good environment, and a balanced trim. Typically, the structures of the foot get stronger, and the foot becomes more conditioned and durable. But what do you do when this is not the case? Only a small percentage of the horses I work on need additional help beyond being barefoot, and there are a number of good choices you can make.

BAREFOOT struggles there

Trimming, being a subtractive process, cannot provide what the horse needs mechanically or supportively.
The horse’s environment cannot be set up to condition the foot well enough for the horse’s job.
It would take too long for the horse’s barefoot to condition properly for the situation.

On occasions when being barefoot is a struggle, hoof boots can be used successfully to provide the protection, support, or mechanics that the horse needs. With all the different boots available on the market today, there’s usually a boot that suits the needs, budget and occupation of the horse.

WHEN TO CONSIDER A SHOE

So when would you want to consider a shoe instead of a boot? The time for shoes is often dictated by necessity, yet can be a healthy choice for your horse as well. Some of the determining factors for a shoe versus barefoot/boot are:

When a horse needs a boot 24/7 to be comfortable long term
When the environment or living situation prohibits a boot from being used
When a boot cannot give us the mechanics needed to help a horse’s foot

Rim Support Metal horse shoe

If you believe your horse needs a shoe, your options are many, and range from metal to composite and rim support to wide-webbed with frog support. How do you decide what’s best for you and your horse in your situation? SHOE MATERIALWhen selecting the best shoe for the horse’s foot, one of the primary considerations is the material. All material properties are noted by a durometer, a measurement of the hardness of any given material.

Metals such as steel and aluminum are on the harder end of the spectrum, whereas composite materials, such as plastic and rubber, have a softer durometer.

Because metal is the most resistant to the distortion of the foot, it has definite advantages regarding wear, resistance, and stability. If you have a horse that wears his feet too short barefoot or a horse with a fractured coffin bone, metal is a very good choice. Metal is also cost-beneficial, being typically the least expensive shoe material to apply.

Depending on the needs of the horse and the preference of the farrier, steel or aluminum shoes have different benefits for the foot. Aluminum is softer than steel and wears more easily; it is also lighter than steel.

New to the market is a metal shoe that is made of tempered steel. It offers many of the benefits of steel and aluminum while allowing the foot to flex. It comes in a rim support design and offers a frog and sole support pad if desired.

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Rim Support Composite Shoe

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Frog Support Composite Shoe

Composite materials offer many support options for the foot as well. They come in a wide variety of shapes and have a similar durometer a horn. There are very few instances where you cannot achieve the same goals for the horse’s foot with metal versus composites. Many horse owners find composite shoes a friendly option as the materials are similar to hoof boots. The biggest drawback of composites is cost. These shoes can be as much as five to 20 times more expensive than steel shoes of similar design.

SHOE SHAPE

After material, the other major consideration for shoe selection shape. Shoes come in a wide variety of shapes to suit the individual needs of the horse. If your horse is flat-footed, for instance, a shoe that simply adds wall length may be the best fit.

If your horse needs more protection, padding can be added under the shoe to protect and support the sole, bars, and frog, or you can use a shoe with those components already included.

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Frog Support Metal Shoe

And, in more extreme cases, there are shoes with additional mechanics built in. For example, a foal with tendon laxity could benefit from a shoe with heel extension to support the hoof’s growing in better alignment. (See photos below)

Another example would be a horse with a pathology that would benefit from reduced leverage, like a horse with articular ringbone. These types of shoes allow the farrier to provide additional mechanics that a trim alone cannot.

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Leverage Reduction Composite

horse hoof on a leverage reduction composite package

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Leverage Reduction Metal

Leverage Reduction Metal horse shoe

CONCLUSION

Which tool you decide to use, if and when your horse needs a shoe, is largely dependent on the owner, farrier, and veterinarian’s preference. There are many different ways to help your horse when a support device is needed. The best way to decide is to consult your horse’s team.

Many of us have been taught “barefoot works for every horse all the time.” My experience has shown me that while barefoot is ideal for most situations, adding a shoe or another support device when necessary can greatly improve the horse’s quality of life without detriment to the foot.

Daisy Bicking, DEP, APF, CBT, founded Daisy Haven Farm, Inc., in 2004, focusing on the rehabilitation of the equine foot. Daisy maintains a busy farrier practice, teaches hoof workshops, and offers certification through her School of Integrative Hoofcare. Daisy has won awards for her work with laminitis and has spoken at Cornell University, the International Hoof Care Summit, The Laminitis Conference and the International Lameness Prevention Conference. Daisy maintains a database of over 200,000 digital photographs and corresponding radiographs of the equine foot, capturing objective, measurable data over time. www.daisyhavenfarm.com