Rubber, Steel, Aluminum, Glue on, Nail on, screw on… horseshoes come in all styles, shapes, sizes, and attachment. But when do you need them, and should you use them?
By Dr. Adam
The Purpose of Horseshoes
Horseshoes are typically needed and/or used for three reasons: protection, traction, and correction.
Protection
Horseshoes will often be used to protect the foot from trauma or damage from the environment in which the horse lives or performs. They can also be used to protect a horse’s sole, which may be thin and often painful when walking on hard, uneven surfaces. An example would be a horse who is often ridden on trails through rough, rocky terrain, or a horse who has a very flat shallow hoof with a shallow sulcus. We can also use shoes to protect injured areas, such as a lateral support shoe. This can be used to prevent the lateral sinking of the foot to protect an injured lateral suspensory branch.
Traction
Horseshoes can also be used to help gain traction. Often, we find this in performance horses. There are various shapes and sizes of horseshoes which will allow for manipulation of ground surfaces. One example would be half-round pacer shoes for a pacing racehorse. This shoe has a rounded inside bar on all four feet to allow for an easier lateral swing, which we see in the pacer gait. To the other extreme, sliding shoes have a very flat, wide, smooth surface, which, when applied to the hind feet of reining horses, allows them to slide on their hind limbs when doing their sliding stop.
Correction
Shoes can be used to correct angles or to force growth in certain areas for angular limb deformities. The most common correction one may see is the wedge shoe. This will correct low heel broken back hoof pastern axis feet, which we often see associated with caudal heel pain. Less commonly seen, but often used, are glue-on cuff shoes for foals that have angular limb deformities. These shoes will allow for manipulation of growing bones to straighten out or correct improperly angled legs, which will allow for a healthier, happier, more athletic horse as an adult.
But, does my horse need shoes? The simple answer is no. Unless you are using the shoe for protection, correction, or traction, your horse does not need shoes. A proper routine trim and balance will be enough.
