Alu ,steel or bare foot which is better

I know this is an age old debate ,but would be interesting to hear what you owners have to say

i dont think there is a difference

but i do believe that its an indicator of a horses well being from certain stables. By this i mean that if you had a check sheet for backing a horse then allies would need to be ticked before that happened

but

Mike Pappas and Tyron Zaki have more than held their own racing horses in steels or even unshod

If there was no difference would it not be MUCH cheaper to just have your horse trimmed instead of alu ?
If it was better to go barefoot would you ?

Gary

yes but like in all sports some want to go that extra mile.

Zola ran barefoot and won but she also never managed a nike takkie deal.....


I dont think there is harm in either and its what people perceive to be a better solution.

BUT you are correct i would not have a problem racing a horse unshod

Horse hooves are fragile.....in the wild horses evolved to run in the open grasslands and their diet and prevailing conditions did not stimulate hoove growth but toughened the slower growing hoof.....now with selective breeding, feeding cutting we have stimulated growth and sacrificed ruggedness of the hoof....thoroughbreds cannot be put through training regimes or race without shoes as the shoe holds the hoof together....in cases where shoes are lost pre-race a trainer has to be consulted if he can risk a horse racing without shoes....if the hoof is strong then yes.....bad "feet" hooves then no.....most horses are shod on a weekly or bi-weekly depending on work, hoof growth and racing engagements....the aluminium shoe although quick to wear down provides exellent ductility(allows for the hoof to move within the shape of the shoe).....so running barefoot is not really advisable.....

Trainers world wide prefer to use alumni shoes on race day for a reason!

hibernia Wrote:

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> Trainers world wide prefer to use alumni shoes on
> race day for a reason!


correct but some trainers only use allies, from the day a horse arrives in the yard till the day it leaves, so in that case it surely makes no diffs?

I think horses should stay in steels. They last longer than allies, and do protect the hoof from being worn down, which would happen if the horse was barefoot.
I feel that training a horse in steels and then swapping it to allies for the race, involves shoes coming off and being put on too often, and the hoof wall gets brittle as the nails are continuously being hammer through, without sufficient time for the hoof to grow out.

Yes, I don't believe the TB, especially a racehorse, can go barefoot, as their hooves would just wear down too quickly.

But I don't know if the benefits of swapping Steels and allies so frequently, really outweigh the issues one has when there is no hoof wall left. We had a super little racehorse, who could have competed at a higher level than he did, if he just didn't have feet issues. We didn't dare change his shoes a day earlier than was required, and even then often had to glue shoes or rest him. He came in as a foal with hoof issues, but it really is sad to have had a decent horse that couldn't live up his full potential due to his feet. And his feet eventually being the cause of him moving on to greener pastures too.

There is no ways a horse can be shod every 2 weeks ,if a horse gets shod monthly its a lot ,there simply would be no place for nails if this happened
The alu shoe has a steel insert that reduces wear ,they are not that soft at all and can easily last a month
The shoe does NOT allow the hoof to expand and function properly ,the shoe itself cant expand and contract
When a horse with bad feet is given a break ,,they remove the shoes
If your horse is being shod 2 times a month alarm bells should be ringing
Just go to the races and have a look at how long the feet are and you will see if your horse has been recently shod
The shoe does not hold the hoof together ,its the hoof with all its nails in it that stops the shoe from coming of
The only reason they re fit a shoe at the races is because the horse is carded to race with a full set or half set etc and you would be deceiving the public if the said horse ran without what was listed ,that is why you have to state what the horse is running in alu steel bars etc
I cant see a horse having a problem running a short distance on lush soft grass or even soft sand
The more work you give a horse the faster the feet grow (more circulation)
The feet would not wear down if looked after correctly, You would in fact need to trim the horse more often the harder it worked ,its the same as a car tire it does not just wear down quickly on the road the softer it is the more it grips and does not wear

Here is something to look at ,this horse could not run to keep warm with shoes on;)

And plastic shoes?

.....@Gary Horse as you stated.... it is not the feet or shoes that wear down that require frequent shoeing.... it is the hoof growth that would nessitate cutting and trimming sometimes weekly but bi weekly more of a norm.....so to do this the shoe must be removed and if in good condition the shoe can be replaced -steels that is(I see some shocked owners quibbling about paying for new shoes when the old ones can be replaced) after all they are worn in and still fit .....most modern feed suppliments promote hoof growth through stimulating circulation as does exercise regime...the shoe is also there to protect the hoof ie hold it together.....with the way we breed and fine tune the breed the hooves are becoming softer more fragile and racing or exercising without shoes is risky....the hoof walls are prone to splitting or being damaged without a well sized ductile shoe....a fit and healthy horse not only displays it in its coat but also in its feet......furthermore it is not the racing surfaces like grass and soft sand that determine wear and tear it is the angle at which the hoof strikes the surface and rotates through the substrate....that is the exact area of the hoof that the shoe was designed to protect.....: