Shoes for horses?

Why is the purpose in shoeing a horse? I have seen where shoeing has caused alot of trouble with the horses hooves suchs as spliting, How can this be prevented? When should shoes be used?

Shoes for horses?
You would shoe a horse if they have a bad hooves, like splitting, cracking a lot or if your farrier says so. The only way to prevent a good horses hooves from getting shoes is taking care of their hooves. Pick them out everyday, spray iodine on the inside of their hooves(if they need it, try thrush ex) and use hoof dressing to prevent dryness and them from cracking. Some horses, no matter what, need shoes. Its the way their hooves are, they have bad composition. Some people use shoes also to help with better footing in the mud/wet grass. They drill holes in the shoes and put plugs in them, then you pull the plugs out and put in studs so you don't slip and slide and hurt you are your horse. They are like spikes(track and cross country runners use them) for horses. Its true, i might have it done to my horse.
Reply:my dad is a farrier i learn alot from him. The shoes rnt always what cause the cracks. sometimes cracks can be a sign of poor nutrition hoove wise. if a horse has bad feet, or thin hoof walls then it might be nessary to put shoes on them, because the hoof wall can break easy without it. Report It

Reply:sorry, to many words, anywayz.u can try to stop it by putting, and keeping shoes on. this will not allow the hoove to move, and break off, it will "clamp it together" if that makes sense. Report It

Reply:Shoes are used for a lot of reasons. In racing, there are special shoes that help grip the ground/surface. Some horses have exceptionally small or tender feet and are prone to lameness as a result, shoes will help with support. If a horse lives in a rocky/very dry environment, shoes will help with support (just like our shoes help us when we walk on gravel) Splitting happens one of two ways: from the bottom - up or from the top - down (from the coronet band). The first is usually the result of either a bad shoeing job or hooves that were poor to begin with. The second is a health problem within the hoof wall. Splitting can be controlled by notching the top of the split so that the split does not continue to run in the same laminar area. The use of shoes really depends on the horse and its environment. Many horses can be left barefoot so long as they are healthy, are on a good feed, live in good fields, and have a regular hoof trimming schedule.
Reply:Shoes are used for different reasons. Some people shoe their horses if they plan to ride them on gravel roads or concrete. Other people use them to correct problems. I just ride my horses in the field so I don't shoe them. I used to shoe them and I never saw them cause problems like splitting. If the shoes are the right size and they are put on properly, they should not cause problems.
Reply:Hoof Care


Hooves should be trimmed every six to eight weeks for horses whose feet do not get adequate natural wear. Despite tradition, most horses don't need shoes if their hooves are given the opportunity to strengthen naturally. In fact, some hoof problems are directly related to shoeing. However, changes should not be made suddenly or without expert guidance. Finding a veterinarian or farrier willing to discuss all the options may be hard, but worthwhile. In any case, neglecting the feet can be disastrous for the horse.
Reply:Shoes are sometime used to correct hoof problems, such as when the angle of the hoof is wrong and causes problems for the horse. Other than that, shoes are used in areas where the terrain is rough on the horses hooves. Areas that have lots of rocks or hard surfaces.





Now where you run into problem with horse shoes, is when they are left on for an extented amount of time. Generally, the farrier should come out every 6 weeks to trim horse hooves. If shoes are left on for a greater duration of 6 weeks, then it may result in some of the problems you've seen.
Reply:Shoes are used for a lot of things. Mostly to make the owner feel better I think. But in a lot of cases horses that have bad feet (chip, crack etc.) do need them. I have a draft horse and the shoes he would wear are about 8 lbs. a piece because his feet are so big so I keep him barefoot. His feet do chip but keeping them trimmed regularly helps and I use an MSM supplement to keep the hoof hard. I've included a website with TONS of info on horses feet.



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