Types of Horseshoes

All About Horseshoes

Types of Horseshoes

Horseshoes are made from steel, aluminum, synthetics, titanium, brass, and even rawhide.

Horseshoes come in two basic configurations: open heeled and bar. The two basic types have an infinite number of variations which can be custom fitted to a horse.

A horseshoe can also have additional features such as clips, calks, jar calks, screw-ins, bubbles, or grabs.

Protection

Protection is the main reason to shoe a horse. If a horse's foot wear exceeds the foot growth, the foot must be protected in some way to prevent soreness. Once sore it's best to turnout the horse while the foot grows out.

Steel

The most common type of horseshoe used today is made of steel. Steel horseshoes are readily available and easy to attach. They can be modified with minimal skill. Most Farriers use only steel horseshoes. However, sometimes a horse needs another type of horseshoe.

Aluminum

Aluminum horseshoes are widely used in flat and harness racing. They are also used on the fronts of barrel horses where the weight of the horseshoe is important. Aluminum is also very popular on the fronts of hunters because it enhances a hunter's way of going. Aluminum is also preferred by veterinarians because its greater width and thickness (compared to steel) can be used for the protection of sensitive structures without adding weight.

Synthetics

Synthetic horseshoes made from solid rubber or plastic have limited applications. Horses working on hard surfaces or with pathological conditions can often benefit from synthetic horseshoes.

Full synthetic horseshoes cover the entire sole and trap moisture which creates an ideal condition for a disease known as Thrush. Rim type synthetic horseshoes have a tendency to shift.

Rubber and plastic covered steel horseshoes with built-in clips, where the sole is not fully covered, are an alternative when synthetic horseshoes are necessary.

Titanium

Titanium is sometimes used on horses that need a light, strong horseshoe in the front. For example, race horses which routinely bend aluminum horseshoes, or jumpers and barrel horses that make sharp turns at speed. Titanium is gaining popularity for routine use on speed horses.

Brass

In the past, brass horseshoes were nailed on with brass nails and used in mines to prevent explosions.

Pads

A pad is a protective device which is attached between the horseshoe and foot. Pads can be made from metal, leather or plastic.

Pads come in two basic types, full or rim, and are configured to be flat or wedged. A full pad covers the entire sole, and a rim pad covers the only the area under the horseshoe. Most flat pads are 1/8" to 1/2" thick. Wedge pads are angled to be thicker at the heel than the toe.

Sometimes substances are packed between the pad and the horse's foot for cushioning or medicinal purposes. Anything placed between a full pad and the sole is called packing. The basic types of packing are oakum, sponge, foam, uncured rubber, silicone and acrylic. The packing can also be a medicated poultice.

Before the packing is attached a medication is painted on the ground surface of the foot. This can be an off the shelf preparation like Durasole™ or Reducine™, or a custom blend preferred by the Farrier. They are usually iodine based, anti-fungal or anti-bacterial, and designed to slow the growth of pathogens in the sole and frog. Then the packing is placed between the pad and the sole, and the horseshoe is nailed on.

Traction

A traction device is anything added to a horseshoe to enhance traction. Traction devices include special nails, heel calks, toe calks, grabs, jar calks, swedges and Memphis bars.

Special types of horseshoe nails are used on traction devices. Most are large headed nails which protrude below the ground surface of the horseshoe. Mud and ice nails are very common.

Heel calks consist of downward projections of the horseshoe, located behind the heel nails. Their design is limited only by the imagination of the Farrier.

Toe calks are protuberances placed ahead of the toe nails. They are attached in the same way as heel calks.

A grab is welded to the toe of the horseshoe. it usually consists of a thin projection placed lengthwise, between the toenails. A grab is a kind of toe calk.

Jar calks are placed across the web (width of the ground surface) of the horseshoe. They are used singly at the toe or in pairs at the heel. The most common usage is the mud calk which consists of a single outside heel jar calk.

The swedge refers to a lengthwise indentation in the web of the horseshoe. The swedge fills with dirt which gives more traction than the horseshoe alone. The ridges formed by the swedge may be the same height (rim horseshoes), higher outside (barrel racing horseshoes) or higher inside (polo horseshoes). The swedge is used to increase traction. The surface heights created by the swedge determine break over.

A Memphis bar is a narrow piece of metal welded across the quarters of the horseshoe. They are used singly, across the toe quarter, and on hinds. Their main purpose is to increase traction or break over on long footed horses.

Each traction device may be used in conjunction with other traction devices. Their use may be customized for an individual horse in specific conditions. For example, a flat racer running on a sloppy track might be shod with a grab and sticker behind, and a grab and jar calks in front. The same horse, on a dry track, might run with only a grab behind and rims in front.

Movement

The final reason to shoe a horse is to change a horse's way of going. A Farrier will try to change an horse's way of going for one of two reasons: either to stop the horse from hitting, or to modify the horse's gait to meet an arbitrary standard for a particular breed.

A gait can be modified by changing the way a foot leaves the ground (break over) or its behavior off the ground (flight path). These factors are changed by the application of weight and length.