7 reasons to shoe your horse

Sometimes, even when you prefer not to, your horse needs shoes...

We live in the high desert and the ground is pretty hard. Our quarter horse did well for a long time without shoes, but once my daughter climbed the Pony Club ladder and rode more that 2 or 3 times a week, it was time for shoes.

Our little Arab has been ridden a lot too, combine that with some area of decomposed granite in his corral and a habit of ‘sliding’ to a stop when excited, his soles were getting rather thin.

There are different schools of thought about shoes for our equine friends:

1. natural, or barefoot trimming - not shoes, no boots

2. regular shoeing - front, back or front and  back

3. no shoes, but boots when needed

Boots won’t work during a dressage show. They only work when worn, and you shouldn’t leave them on while at ‘rest’. That means, our little Arab would still be sanding his feet too short.

So, can we come up with 7 reasons to shoe your horse? Let’s see:

1. Ground too hard

2. Soles too thin and tender footed (most horses do get used to their surroudings)

3. A problem that needs to be corrected; for example angles

4. Riding more than just 2 or 3 times a week on hard, abrasive footing

5. Time – barefoot trimming is great for the horse but needs more time

6. Lameness issues (this goes both ways though-sometimes it’s better to leave the horse barefoot)

7. Cracked and split hooves (a problem that can usually be corrected with barefoot trimming)

It is very important to keep the hooves up. Don’t wait too long with the next trim, whether your horse is shod or not.
We've removed the horse from his wild environment, where his hooves basically took care of themselves. Now we must make sure he gets regular hoof care to keep him comfortable and sound.

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