Posted by Phil Strange on March 30, 2004 at 01:15:23:
In Reply to: Re: Mountain shoes posted by Jack Evers on August 06, 2003 at 11:34:39:
: : : : 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
: I live and shoe in Wyoming (over 40 years)and generally use some type of rim or eventer shoe. In the very dry mountains (rain shadow area) with decomposed granite that lie to the east of town I often use a plain shoe. It seems that in this area there is no buildup of dirt in the crease and the rim shoes don't wear as well. twenty five years ago I saw an artical by a Wyoming packer who started shoeing every other horse in his string with plains and the others with toed and heeled. These horses were tied together in a pack string and did exactly the same distances over the same terrain. He found that the toes wore out on the toed shoes faster than on plain shoes. If you start with more steel and wear it out faster, you must be slipping more. I believe that on rock the small contact area of a caulk does slip more and once the wear starts and the shoe is polished the situation gets worse. Then on soft ground the caulks aren't really needed. I quit carrying toed and heeled shoes in my truck so unless someone specifically asked ahead of time for them, I wouldn't have them and now no one asks. They've found they don't need them.
: Jack
Ive been Guiding/packing in Alaska For four years and shoeing for three. Over the last three years Ive tried differnet type shoes on the string. I think the eventers are the best for traction with plain ww steel shoes being the best for wear. Ive tried Heel and toe caulked shoes and have to agree with Jack, the horses seem to slip more wearing these shoes (on hard rocks,makes sense if you think about it,less surface area of the shoe on the ground) and they seem to wear a bit faster than rim shoes. I also found out clips, fitting the shoe tighter than normal(only for a short time) and all the nails you can put in the shoe also help....Keep in mind the string I shoe only works two monthes out of the year. I also shape two sets of shoes for every animal, on the 30mile trip to base camp I usaly lose a shoe or two.
Phil Strange