What kind of horse shoes do you prefer to use on....?

Question

If you use shoes on your horse, what kind do you prefer?

Flats

w/Heels

w/Heels and Toes

Rims

Aluminum

Etc......

And why?

Answer 1

we use Centaur forge's synthetics.. The Smooth walkerand  Easy Glu.

They are steel core with rubber outter coatings.  And I've found them to give good grip on asphalt roadways.  At certain times of the year road is all there is to ride on around here, as all the available land is in plant and farmers sadly have had enough trouble with 4 -wheelers and kids ruining crops, that some will not allow horse passage now.  Thankfully some do, and I report 4-wheel tire tracks to them when I find them... but anyway.. the smooth walker gives good grip, I tried boreum points on the shoes and that just caused more problems then they were worth, besides being expensive.

We use the easy glu for a horse that has the most insanely brittle hoof walls.  he's been on every suplement known to man, had blood work and every test the vet can think of to figure out why he has such poor hooves.. would blow a freshly set shoe in 3-4 days tops.. Glu on's are the solution for him. He's sound as can be in them, jumps does trails, you name it.. even jousts..( yep. run down the lane with a rider and pointy stick..) .  I looked into them when the state of PA started giving synthetics to the local Amish to see if it would cut down on road damage from horse traffic .. and to see if it would cut down on the number of lame horses in New Holland auction.. My smith thought I was nuts the first few times he set them.. But now he admits they are as good as steel shoes and for their purpose may be better.

Answer 2

I use the standard Aluminum Horse Shoe. I have the farrier put borium on the shoe for tracking when crossing roads.

I use this shoe because it is a dependable shoe, wont bend and I can get two to three shoeings from one set (one for each foot).

Answer 3

Shoes protact a horses feet.

And they also keep there feet from being as tender

It plans on what type of horse that you have.

A gaited horse might need weights on there shoes.

But a quarter Horse would not!

Answer 4

My horse is barefoot, because I see no reason to shoe him.

Answer 5

well i perfer none if the horse's hoof is A. fine and strong enough it doesnt need it and B. if im not going to be doing too much riding on hard rocky surfaces.

my one horse tho did need shoes and i didnt have a choice, his were corrective shoes (he had to get operated on, they nerved his front legs from the knee down). so like it or not he needed correctives with pads on. other then that i for an opinion on shoes i'd have to go ask my friend who's a blacksmith to teach me about the advantages and disadvantages of each type of shoeing.

Answer 6

I usually use aluminum shoes on my AQHA show horses. Some times we do just aluminums on the front with no back shoes.

Answer 7

Much of that depends on what kind of riding that you do. I prefer to use plane flat shoes just so my horses feet do not get worn down with constant riding.

If your horse has low heels or you do a lot of riding in grass fields where you would need more grip then shoes with heels would help. If your horse just has low heels then you could use wedge shoes.

As for shoes with clips if you have a gaited horse where most of the pressure is on the toe of the hoof then a front clip shoe would be good. If you do a lot of jumping or your horse has thin hoof walls then side clips work best to help keep the shoe from slipping.

I personally do not like aluminum shoes they wear out much faster than steel and tend to cost more, but if you show hunter pleasure or western pleasure then the lighter the shoe the better. Also if your horse has a lameness issue the the aluminum may be best for that.

As for using pads I would try to avoid that as best you can. Pads tend to hold moisture to the foot causing several problems, but if you have to have pads the the poured pads are the best.

The best thing that you could do if you are looking to have shoes on your horse then I would first ask my vet and then my farrier. I say go to the vet first because farriers will sometimes just try to get more money from you by adding things that you don't really need.

Hope this helps.

Answer 8

It would depend on what my horse's needs are at the time...I prefer either a standard keg shoe or a forge built one, depending.   You did not mention an egg bar shoe and many of the rail horses are currently ridden with them.....too many hours spent pounding around on hard packed arena floors.   Many rail horses require the extra help of pads and egg bars.

Answer 9

That is to much, to go in to, just let your black smith put on what he think, is best for your type, of riding. But flat and aluminums only go on race horses, and rims are lether pads, see why I do not want to do this, and you forgot round and haftrounds,that mean you left out trotter and pacer, and rubber shoes, and trailers. work on that one.and it is not toes, it is clips, on the front and slid clip, you know ware, yes on the sides of the shoes

Answer 10

it depends entirely upon the horse, the shape of their feet and the work they do. Personally I don't shoe if at all possible but otherwise I would go with what the farier recommends.