I'm in the process of switching
farriers to a woman with a great deal of shoeing education and years of
professional experience. Around here, she is the farrier "to the
sport horse stars" and her charge reflects that expertise! I've
been using St. Croix Eventers in aluminum for the past two resets. Via
phone, the new farrier tells me that she does not like aluminum shoes on
endurance horses and asked me why I was using them. I told her lighter
weight, therefore less stress on the legs, and that I felt that they were
better for shock absorption. She disagrees saying that aluminum gives
too much and won't hold it's shape. She also said the weight
difference between steel and aluminum is so little when applied to a 1000
pound horse that the advantages of aluminum are minuscule.
She also feels that steel is the better shock absorber of the two. She
frequently uses a brand by the name of Karhards.
Sure would appreciate opinions from
experienced endurance folks as to aluminum versus steel. Also, anybody
use Karhards? Pros, cons?
Susan Swope
AERC SE
Region
Kentucky
A horse is the projection of peoples'
dreams about themselves -
strong, powerful, beautiful - and it has the
capability of giving us
escape from our mundane
existence.
Pamela Brown, b. 1928
Events