02/25/2023
**Edit: just to be clear, I love composite shoes and when I shoe horses I use them exclusively. I have been shoeing in composites for 10 years. I am not in any way bashing composite shoes and I think that 99 times out of 100 they are the best choice for semi-permanant hoof protection, when applied thoughtfully and correctly.**
Uncomfortable truths of the DIY Plastic Horseshoe Revolution... (A.k.a: a message for owner-trimmers-turned-composite-shoers)
I just had to rehab my horse out of composite shoes.
I, a professional farrier for over a decade, who has been applying glue on composites shoes to horses for almost that long, had to give my horse a three month "barefoot break" because his feet got so distorted in 7 months of composite shoes. His old boots didn't fit anymore, and I honestly didn't take any photos because I was so mortified.
Fortunately, his bare feet bounced back and his boots now fit again. But this, as well as some social media posts I've seen lately, got me to thinking.
We are in the midst of no less than a profound paradigm shift in the horse world. The barefoot movement was the start, around 20 years ago. Research in anatomy and biomechanics, information on equine nutrition, species-appropriate management, and new understanding of hoof health have spread like wildfire on the internet.
With this speed-of-light information explosion, came a new breed of hoof care professional, often an owner who for whatever reason, took over their horse's hoof care. I was one, and I know so many others. When I started, there were a few websites, books, and maybe one magazine devoted to barefoot horses. I piecemealed together an education based on an obsession, via scattered workshops, apprenticeships, and a whole lot of trial and error. I've always been a proud do-it-yourselfer, and am proud I started out as an owner-trimmer.
The second, rather concurrent, revolution happened in the "temporary hoof protection" realm. This, of course, is hoof boots. It is impossible to overstate the importance of hoof boots to help horses have bare feet most of the time, but protection when needed. Without hoof boots, barefoot would have remained a fringe movement.
After that, came alternative "semi-permanent" hoof protection. Driven by greater understanding of hoof anatomy and biomechanics, the market has become flooded with alternatives to metal shoes. I.e "composite" plastic shoes. For horses that need 24-7 protection for whatever reason, these new products have been a huge benefit. Now, we can mimic barefoot mechanics with a shoe.
Which brings us to the current hoof care revolution. Recently, in the US anyway, it has become more and more common for owners to learn to trim their own horses. But, the realm of semi permanent hoof protection, i.e. "shoeing" of whatever type, had remained mostly the realm of either traditional metal farriers or the newer hybrid of trimmer-turned-composite-shoer. This was due to the considerable economic and time investment of applying any sort of shoe. The materials and expertise needed, the special tools, etc. made it more or less prohibitive for the owner-trimmer.
Until recently, with the sudden flooding of the market with a new breed of composite shoe that needs minimal material investment. Often applied weight bearing, with nothing more than superglue.
I have no doubt that this new revolution will help a great many horses. However, as someone who has been doing this for awhile, I feel the need to say a few things to owners-turned-farriers. Some cautions, or words of warning, if you will.
1. A good shoe on a bad trim is worse than no shoe at all. When you put something on the bottom of the horse's foot semi-permanently, you remove the horse's ability to trim his own feet to correct any mistakes that you made. If you left too much leverage in a certain area, well you just added more. So MAKE SURE that your trim is spot on, preferably with radiographs and the help of a professional mentor, before afixing anything to that foot. Mistakes that you could get away with barefoot, will be amplified with any type of shoe you put on that foot, and now you have a problem.
2. A good shoe put on a good trim in the wrong spot, is worse than no shoe at all. I see this issue particularly with the newer tab shoes being set too far forward. Composite shoes in particular are thick. Adding anything, thick or thin, to the bottom of the foot is adding leverage. Any leverage added to the front of the foot, is increasing strain on the soft tissues and all the other structures at the back of the leg/foot. Sometimes, this might be the right decision, but you sure better be doing it on purpose. 99% of the time, you either want to be reducing leverage, or at least keeping it the same as barefoot. So, if you think you can apply composites without investing in a grinder, think again.
3. Trimming for a shoe is NOT THE SAME as trimming for barefoot. Yes, composites allow more wiggle room here because you don't have to worry as much about pressure points (though ironically, with the new weight bearing tab shoes, you do need to get the foot flatter than a direct glue application like an Epona, since there isn't any glue to fill in the gaps and even the load). This partly applies to #2 as well. Any little flare or imbalance you leave will be amplified with the shoe on. You need to trim MORE off the foot than you would barefoot. You need to get rid of all flares. Which means you need to have good rasp control and a hoof stand to do a proper job. More $$ and time investment building those skills. This is compounded by the tendency for horses to grow a lot of foot in composites. This is part of what happened with my horse. He grew so much foot, it went in the wrong direction. I've pulled horses out of composites because they grew too fast, so that the foot was getting away from us. So you better do a tight, short trim!
4. Making the horse more comfortable is not always the right thing to do. This one might get me some flak. But think about this from a perspective which we have become accustomed to, in the barefoot world. A critique of traditional shoeing practices has been that they can be a "band-aid" that perpetuates an unhealthy foot and long term damage, by the horse being "sound" but moving incorrectly on damaged structures.
Yes, your horse might be more comfortable in any kind of shoe, including composites. But if the trim is unbalanced, the shoe is in the wrong spot, and the foot is too long, then today's comfort will allow your horse to use himself improperly and can lead to injury and damage down the line.
And finally, 5. No one type of shoe will work for every horse. The more hoof issues your horse has, the more fancy a shoeing he may need. It would be nice if every horse simply needed a plastic covering over the bottom of his foot. But some horses simply need more, and so will need a considerable investment of time and materials to become comfortable. This could be you, the owner, doing it yourself and learning as you go, but it could probably more appropriately, and quickly, and kindly, be done by a professional who already has the skill and tools available.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk. We all make mistakes, and this is me trying to help you learn from mine, because I've done all of this and more over the years, including, apparently, 2022, on my own poor horse. 🐎
