Posted by Patty Stiller on August 04, 2003 at 23:22:41:
In Reply to: Re: Mountain shoes posted by Mike on August 04, 2003 at 06:42:03:
: : What shoes do you like for horses being ridden in rocky mountains (actually The Rocky Mountains). Opinions here are divided,
: : toe and heel for better traction but not being able to slip can hurt a tendon
: :
: : rimshoes for traction and some slipping
: : just plain shoes is good enough.
: : How about toe and heel in the front and rimshoe in the back?
: : Thank you
: I shoe horses in central Utah. Lots of rocks, especially lava. After years of trying different shoes, the best seem to be St. Croix eventers. The rim is good for traction and the extra wide shoe seems to help reduce the number of stone bruises. Pads help also.
I have always felt that toe and heels are far too hard on the joints as they stop the foot too suddenly (and overload the heels).
I shoe a lot of horses in Colorado in the the Sangre de Cristos, plenty rocky. I usually just use steel Natural balance front and hind. It's full crease and rolled edge affords plenty of traction on the rocks according the riders. Patty