In Hoofin' It - Part 3, I made plans to research hoof boots and soft shoes.
Hoofin' It - Part 4 discusses hoof boots.
Part 5 will cover soft shoes.
I find two types of soft shoes.
One type consists of a metal plate attached to the hoof with a soft pad attached to the metal plate.
While this provides great traction on hard surfaces and gives good shock absorption, it restricts flexing of the hoof.
I am not going to address this type.
The other type of soft shoe consists entirely of the soft material such as urethane.
I have had experience with this type hoof protection in that my brother and his wife have had some of their horses shod in this manner.
These shoes are made from urethane, the same material used for skateboard wheels.
This material gives the hoof flexibility that steel doesn't provide.
Hoofin' It - Part 2 discussed the blood circulation in the hoof being restricted by steel shoes but not in barefoot.
The soft shoes allow flexing to pump the blood through the hoof.
The urethane models I have seen have a bar that covers the frog, giving it stimulation and further enhancing blood circulation.
The soft shoes have a closed back configuration rather than the familiar "U" shape of steel horseshoes.
These horses are thriving with the soft shoes.
They have good traction to go along with the protection and shock absorption provided by the urethane.
One chronically tender-footed horse has been able to travel over rough terrain being shod in this manner.
Soft shoes are installed in two manners.
Some are glued to the hoof.
The ones I have seen are attached with nails.
The shoe trims the hoof as he would with steel plates.
The urethane's are then nailed to the hoof in the same manner as steel plates.
Attaching them with nails is the one disadvantage compared to barefoot or hoof boots as the nails create holes in the hoof wall.
The chance of putting a nail into the white-line exists.
Urethane shoes can frequently be re-set as they have good wear characteristics.
Urethane shoes are intended for extended wear as are steel counterparts, compared to limited duration wear for hoof boots.
As explained in Part 4, hoof boots are intended to protect the hooves during riding or for therapy but the horse is expected to remain barefoot for the majority of the time.
Small rocks and other debris can get under the hoof pad due to the increased coverage area and gaps in the material.
Most manufacturers of soft shoes recommend inserting caulk or putty between the urethane and the hoof to prevent this problem.
The prices I have seen for urethane shoes are reasonable.
I believe my brother and his wife pay about $8/hoof.
Some listings for urethane shoes on website give the price as $24/pair.
Thank you for reading this article.
Watch for this series to continue in "Hoofin' It - Part 6".
Hoofin' It - Part 4 discusses hoof boots.
Part 5 will cover soft shoes.
I find two types of soft shoes.
One type consists of a metal plate attached to the hoof with a soft pad attached to the metal plate.
While this provides great traction on hard surfaces and gives good shock absorption, it restricts flexing of the hoof.
I am not going to address this type.
The other type of soft shoe consists entirely of the soft material such as urethane.
I have had experience with this type hoof protection in that my brother and his wife have had some of their horses shod in this manner.
These shoes are made from urethane, the same material used for skateboard wheels.
This material gives the hoof flexibility that steel doesn't provide.
Hoofin' It - Part 2 discussed the blood circulation in the hoof being restricted by steel shoes but not in barefoot.
The soft shoes allow flexing to pump the blood through the hoof.
The urethane models I have seen have a bar that covers the frog, giving it stimulation and further enhancing blood circulation.
The soft shoes have a closed back configuration rather than the familiar "U" shape of steel horseshoes.
These horses are thriving with the soft shoes.
They have good traction to go along with the protection and shock absorption provided by the urethane.
One chronically tender-footed horse has been able to travel over rough terrain being shod in this manner.
Soft shoes are installed in two manners.
Some are glued to the hoof.
The ones I have seen are attached with nails.
The shoe trims the hoof as he would with steel plates.
The urethane's are then nailed to the hoof in the same manner as steel plates.
Attaching them with nails is the one disadvantage compared to barefoot or hoof boots as the nails create holes in the hoof wall.
The chance of putting a nail into the white-line exists.
Urethane shoes can frequently be re-set as they have good wear characteristics.
Urethane shoes are intended for extended wear as are steel counterparts, compared to limited duration wear for hoof boots.
As explained in Part 4, hoof boots are intended to protect the hooves during riding or for therapy but the horse is expected to remain barefoot for the majority of the time.
Small rocks and other debris can get under the hoof pad due to the increased coverage area and gaps in the material.
Most manufacturers of soft shoes recommend inserting caulk or putty between the urethane and the hoof to prevent this problem.
The prices I have seen for urethane shoes are reasonable.
I believe my brother and his wife pay about $8/hoof.
Some listings for urethane shoes on website give the price as $24/pair.
Thank you for reading this article.
Watch for this series to continue in "Hoofin' It - Part 6".
Source...