There is an old saying that states ‘no foot-no horse’, which emphasises the importance of looking after the horse’s feet.  The majority of lameness is caused as a result of foot injury or disease so every care should be taken to keep the horse’s feet in a healthy condition. The horse’s foot has three key functions,

• Supporting the weight of the horse,
• Reducing concussion
• Preventing slipping

 

Why do horses need shoes?

In its natural environment, the hooves of the horse provide adequate protection for the underlying sensitive structures of the foot. Working horses are more prone to foot injuries, particularly if walking a lot on hard surfaces.
The purpose of shoeing is therefore to:

• Protect the foot from the constant wear caused by hard surfaces
• Protect brittle horn from splitting
• Reduce the possibility of bruising by removing the sole of the foot from close contact with the ground.
  
  

Depending on how often the horse is used, shoes will need replacing every 4-6 weeks when the feet are trimmed.  If the shoes are left on too long problems, may occur such as the shoe moving off the wall at the heels and pressing on the seat of corn causing lameness. The clenches may also begin to rise and cause brushing injuries. Also, if a shoe becomes loose it may get wrenched off and the nails may tear away large pieces in the hoof wall making subsequent shoeing more difficult.  

Horses may be turned out to grass without shoes and some of the tough native breeds have such naturally hard horn they don’t need shoeing. Horses that are ridden though, will need shoes.

Shoeing horses is a very skilled and physically demanding job and should be carried out by a farrier. The art of shoeing is to make the shoe fit the foot and not the other way round as this may lead to lameness.

Although shoes can be applied cold, the method of hot shoeing is preferable in order to get a better fit as when the iron is heated it is easier to shape it to the individual foot.

Choose and Use the Right Shoe

There are many different options.

Normal shoes
The normal type of shoe for riding horses is an iron shoe, oval in shape with a flat-bearing surface, fullered and consisting of two branches (divided into heel and quarter) and a toe.

Race horses’ shoes
This may be made of a lighter iron or aluminium but for the average shoe it is important to have a basic minimum strength otherwise they may wear out too quickly.

Heart-bar Shoe
These are made of steel or plastic and provide support for the frog and limit sole contact with the ground. They are especially useful for relieving pain in laminitis.

Three quarter shoes
This is often used to correct foot imbalances.  The branch of the shoe is shortened so as to avoid pressure on the injured part.

Feathered shoes
These are used to prevent brushing by making the inner branch of the fore or hind shoe narrower than the outer branch.

Wedge-heeled shoed
In this shoe the heel is raised sometimes by as much as 4-5cm to relieve pressure on injured tendons, joints or ligaments in convalescent horses.

Studded shoes
These are used to prevent slipping in icy conditions or on other slippery surfaces. They may be combined with toe-grabs so as to retain the proper foot axis with the ground.