Ridecamp: Re: [RC] Keeping shoes on horses

> 3. I want a shoe that will allow foot expansion and
> stimulate the frog..steel shoes don't allow for basic hoof
> mechanism.
>
> Regards,
> Penny

I've heard that assertion before, but have yet to see any data.  My 
competition horses are all barefoot at least from November through 
April (our normal wet season).  The shoe size they take in the spring 
is the shoe size they take in the fall -- and is the same shoe size 
they'll take the following spring.  If the hoof mechanism wasn't 
working then I would expect poor hoof quality and growth -- yet the 
shod horses that are being ridden have to get new shoes every 4-5 
weeks, primarily because they have grown so much foot that their toes 
are getting long and they are starting to stumble.  The hoof walls 
are quite robust and the frog is healthy.  None of the horses, 
barefoot or shod has ever had an abscess.
--
Lynn Kinsky     Santa Ynez, CA
http://www.silcom.com/~lkinsky


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