WHY SHOE A HORSE?
Dale McMain: “We shoe to protect a horse’s foot from the elements it comes in contact with. We also shoe to correct a foot or feet by creating an optical illusion (as with a horse that toes in or out) to make it appear correct. Sometimes corrective shoeing, like heartbar or bar shoes, is required to cure a problem. Many horses move better, with more animation and action, when correctly shod.” Jim Rupple: “The basic reason is to protect the hoof from bruising and cracking. We also shoe for more correct motion and in pulling horses it gives them much more traction.” Tim Kriz: “You shoe a horse for several reasons: to protect the feet from cracking, breaking up or bruising, to improve his way of going, or to enhance the size of his feet. Also, shoes with hard surfaces like borium provide better traction on some surfaces for a horse than when barefoot.” Dale Schlabach: “I feel that the reason to shoe a horse varies by what your horse is being used for. A regular farm horse needs to be shod
