Equine podiatry

Shoes and pads – an introduction

Horseshoeing is very complex topic. This section will just introduce the basics.

Horse shoes

Most shoes are metal (aluminum or steel) but can be plastic or rubber.

Metal shoes can be manufactured in bulk (“keg” shoes due to the original shipping container) or made by hand using a forge.

Shoes are typically designed to protect the foot, enhance the horse’s action, or provide therapeutic support.

Pads

Pads may be added between the shoe and the sole to protect the sole, elevate the heel, prevent snow and ice buildup, change the gait or alter weight bearing. Pads can cover the entire sole (full) or just the outside edges (rim pads). Pads can be flat or wedged.

full snowball pad; soundhorse.com

Shoeing the horse

Shoes can be applied using nails, metal clips and/or glue. Most shoes are applied by farriers. Farriers have different classification levels and can attend school for a few months or several years.

Resources

20 common types of horse shoes

Farrier certification

Influence of trimming, hoof angle and shoeing on breakover duration in sound horses examined with hoof-mounted inertial sensors, Vet Rec 2021 – good explanation of and how shoes impact it

Mechanical Principles of the Equine Foot Vet Clin Equine 37 (2021) 581–618

License

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Large Animal Surgery - Supplemental Notes Copyright © by Erin Malone, DVM, PhD is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.