No matter what kind of performance horse you might happen to have, cutting, reining, roping, or pleasure, one thing is a constant fact: your horse must be in balance with his body to perform at his optimal level. It is your farrier’s job to trim and shoe your horse to allow for optimal balance. 

A common debate in the horse world these days is whether or not to shoe your horse. Of course this can only be answered by knowing what you are requiring of your horse and the current condition of its feet. A horse that is retired and spending his days on pasture has different needs than a competition cutting horse. Other than an occasional hoof trim the pasture horse should be fine going barefoot. The question becomes more complicated when the level of your horse’s activity is raised. One thing that I have noticed is that you rarely see a non-working horse come up lame. I believe that a big part of this is that when we ride we are placing unnatural stresses on the hoof. While it is true that wild horses live out their lives unshod, it is also true that natural selection takes the horses that have weak feet. In addition, the restrictions we place on the horse’s movement in various disciplines are issues which the wild or pasture horse does not have to deal with. For example, when we ride we control the headset of our horse for appearance more often than for function (i.e. pleasure classes), our horses also constantly have to compensate for the weight of the rider above them, which compromises their balance. We also ask them to move in ways that generally affect their overall carriage and hoof placement. Finally, working horses are first and foremost athletes, subject to the same types of injuries as their human counterparts. In the wild, a horse moves freely without a lot of repetitive motion. The working horse is asked to repeat gaits over and over again causing the hoof to strike the same way. In humans, runners in particular, this is called Repetitive Motion Injury. I feel that this sort of disciplined movement is the cause of most hoof problems. I have found that a happy medium between steel shoes and barefoot to be the composite shoe. In a composite shoe or a hybrid composite horseshoe you get the benefits of support and shock absorption, while retaining the flexibility and the circulation of going barefoot.

Just a few lines to tell how these shoes and pour pads have helped me help a lot of horses. I've been using HOOF-it plastic shoes and medicated pour pads at the Bhighterdays Horse Refugee in Pipe Creek Texas on 2 very laminatic horses. The horses are no longer laying down all the time and are starting to grow good horn. These horses were shod in 8mm HippoPlast wedges and saw almost imediate improvement. Now we are presented with a horse that is pre naviculer this with 3 xrays and no diognostic blocks. I go over the horse real good and determane the feet are very dry and contracted... again Hippoplast 8mm wedges and soak the feet. This horse is in the high dessert of New Mexico. Three days latter the folks are poneying colts on him... 6 weeks later the foot has opened up so much that the old shoes are to small and we go to flat shoes. Bill Mc Donald BWFA Farrier

By Cyndee Pryor

What an experience! Greg and I arrived a day early to rest the horses after our long journey across two states from California to southwest Utah. Camp was nice with a few trees, sandy footing, showers, horse water, and outhouses. Anne and Dave Nicholson were courteous and welcoming. For the most part, about 75 to 80 riders started each day with a very high completion rate. The weather co-operated with us, but on day three in base camp we had a sudden hail storm which the riders missed out on the trail. We had applied Hoof-it before leaving home, and after a quick check to make sure all eight hooves of our two horses were covered, we started day one with much anticipation. Luckily for us, the ride started a little late as we forget to reset our clocks forward by one hour. The scenery was gorgeous with the Red Rocks providing a spectacular view. Besides the sandy soil and the Red Rocks, it felt like we were in the California Sierras most of the time. The footing was rather rocky and we re-applied Hoof-it to seven of the eight hooves after day one. Each day progressed into the next with the main difference being the accumulation of tiredness. Greg and I stayed in the back of the pack as Greg weighs in at 270 pounds with tack and I was on a fairly young horse who hadn’t even done two days in a row before. Greg did manage to finish all five days on the same horse and I finished day 1,2,4, and 5, giving my horse day three off. All the days were large loops with lunch being out of camp so we prepared crew bags which were taken out to lunch for us. Usually lunch was about 25 miles into the ride with great views, green grass for the horses to munch on, horse water, people lunch provided, and great vet checks. Most of the days were pretty technical and a seasoned horse sure helped. Some of the trail was following the side of a canyon, some of the trail took you right up to the edge of a mile long drop off with a birds eye view of the Red Rocks. There were places where the trail was on the side hill of a shale rockslide, but everything was passable with common sense and no sense of urgency - meaning slow down, dismount, walk your horse in hand, and pay attention. When it doubt, check it out! It wasn’t an easy ride on horse or rider. Some days we would climb up to 9500 feet, drop down to 6500 feet, climb again to 8000 feet, and repeat this process many, many times during the day. Other days we would follow the side of the mountains around one bend to the next, and after doing this about six or eight times, wonder if we would ever get to lunch. This is not a ride you would want to get hurt on. Many places it would have been tough to get you or your horse out. But the Duck was always aware of where his ducklings were, what they were up against, and remained a calm and commendable leader throughout the course of the week. There were quite a few rock sore horses by the end of the ride and some didn’t get to finish all five days. Ours looked great using Hoof-it for the duration of the ride. Some of the riders were using Easy Boots which worked ok, but some of the Easy Boots were pulled off in the bogs and muddy areas. We re-applied Hoof-it after some of the more rocky days, but after using it at home and on the single day rides, it was an easy job after we came in from the trail. Great ride, great trail, great company, and I’m glad I found Hoof-it.

Dear HOOF-it Technologies: My mare was diagnosed with “Navicular Syndrome”. One day I noticed that her stride had become short and stabby like. We took her to the vet for a full examination and x-rays and sure enough she was diagnosed with “Navicular Syndrome”. The vet prescribed meds (isoxsuprine) that were given to her religiously but she still seemed too uncomfortable to go back to her regular workouts. After looking on the internet I found your HOOF-it plastic horseshoes and was eager to try them. I bought a pair and gave them to my farrier to put on. My farrier is a bit of a traditionalist and gave me a cross eyed look but after some convincing he went ahead and put them on. Much to our amazement she walked out of the cross ties a different horse. We put her on a line and her movement was night and day. Her short and stabby stride became once again free and long. She has now been able to go back to regular work and has even been shown in the childrens hunters. I know she will never go back to the 3’6 ring but she is comfortable and happy. Who could ask for anything more? Thank you for making a horseshoe that just makes sense! Sincerely, Ann Alexander

If you are a horse owner, you share in the challenge of keeping your horse comfortable and sound. If you're like most of us, you've experienced lameness issues with your horses. You know that unraveling the source of lameness is a team effort between your vet, (or often more than one vet), your farrier, and you. Caring for your horses' hooves on a daily basis is as important as keeping clean water in front of him/her. Choosing a good farrier is also critical to keeping your horse sound. What do you think are the qualities of a good farrier? We are looking for top farriers around the country and for that matter around the world so we can build a farrier referral directory at hoof-it.com. We need your input, so if you are a farrier, or you have a good farrier, contact us. We'll need your name, the name of your farrier, location of your farrier business, your farrier's contact info - phone number, and email address (optional). Also, if you want to share why you like your farrier, or what makes you a good farrier, we'll add that to your free listing in our directory. Thanks! The Hoof-it Horse Care Team

I received my HOOF-it II repair kit and used it that day. She trotted out almost sound the next day. I turned her out and let her bruise heal while I was on vacation. The HOOF-it repair kit helped support and protect her hoof while she was healing. Thanks!

I began using plastic shoes on my draft horse that kicked himself in the side of the foot as his confirmation was base narrow and because of the weight of a steel shoe. In looking for alternatives to protect him from brushing, I found HOOF-it horseshoes in draft size and tried them.   I noticed so much growth in his feet and that he was so much more comfortable , moving more fluid, and yes he stopped brushing and injuring his hind leg. I began to try them on my cross country and event horses and haven't gone back to steel since. The plastic shoes contribute to increased hoof growth. This gives the farrier more hoof to work with if the horse needs correction in his hoof.  The shoe flexes, this creates more circulation in the foot and a healthier foot. The shoe flexes and this protects pasture mates form injury of serious kicks from steel shoes, but protects the using horse from hard surface or stone bruises. I've had one thoroughbred with under-run heels for ten years. With plastic shoes and my certified farrier's expertise in trimming and setting the shoe, he has grown upright heel for the first tine in 10 years! I love plastic horse shoes. People ask if there wear as well as steel. I actually had them re set three times on my draft horse. He weighs about 2500lbs. We were doing trail rides and arena work with him. I think they wear better than steel. Thank you Hoof-It! Christine Amber, owner/trainer www.equestriantraining.com

Question: I am interested in knowing more about the composite shoes - particularly I am curious if you can get more than one shoeing from them? How long do they last? does the farrier use regular nails? Thank-you, Potential Customer  Answer: Dear Potential Customer: Thank you for your interest in HOOF-it composite horseshoes. Horses wearing our composite shoes benefit in many ways... Here are just a few: -Light in weight - Shock absorption -Increase of blood flow (see graphic) -Less stress on tendons and joins Our composite shoes are quite durable. The average horse will get at least one reset. I have actually had customers call and tell me that they have reset our shoes 5 times. Although I would never recommend re-setting a shoe that many times... I do hear about it quite often. On the other hand if you are doing highly competitive endurance riding or have working driving horses that are on asphalt all day 5 days a week you will probably only get one shoeing comfortably out of our shoes. As for nails... yes (most) any regular horseshoe nails will work. Regards, Team HOOF-it