Shoes changing young hunters movement?

[SCF01]

Have you ever had a young horse that moved nice and flat up front, then you put their first shoes on and it creates knee action? Would aluminums fix this or is their movement changed for good? :(

[Jersey Fresh]

My horse was barefoot when I bought him and we put steel shoes on him. It definately created a bit more knee action but we figure when he's ready to show we'll put him in alum. and it won't be as much. My trainer noticed it more than me-its not like he turned into a hackney or something.

[NancyM]

Yes, the weight of steel shoes will create some more knee action than without them. As the horse becomes accustomed to the weight, this effect may reduce some, but not entirely. Aluminum shoes, being lighter, have less of this effect. But aluminum does not absorb concussion as well as steel does, it does not have the metallic memory to give, and come back to shape with the footfall hitting the ground. So your horse feels more concussion with aluminum shoes if the ground is hard. And they wear out faster, and don't take tapped stud holes well. If you can get away without shoes at all, your horse will have the best low flat movement. At the big hunter shows for the flat class, the shoes are pulled if the horse has good enough feet to be able to do that without being footsore, just to improve and lower his action in an attempt to win the class. Then the shoes are replaced after the class so that studs can be used for over fences classes on grass.

With a young horse with her first set of shoes, it is a good plan to put some protection on her in case the extra weight and the feet flying around a bit more results in a "brushing event", a blow on the opposite leg, at least until they get more accustomed to the weight of the shoe. Very light steel shoes are available, "training plates", which reduce this effect. They will wear out faster than larger steel shoes, which being thicker, will last longer.

[alteringwego]

my hunter has fairly crappy feet and has to wear steel so that his feet don't fall apart. He still wins the hack. I think many farrier's will tell you that it has to do with how they are shod.

[luckeys71]

YES, this is EXACTLY what happened to my horse! I almost died! I had a cute moving WB and we had to put shoes on her at about 3 1/2 after a nasty abscess that caused her to lose the inside heel portion of her sole. The farrier told me to turn her out in bell boots, so I put some boots on and turned her out and off trotted a Saddlebred! I went right back and told the farrier it better be the bell boots that caused that movement. It wasn't. She said MAYBE it would get better. It didn't. The next shoeing, we tried aluminums and it was better, but still not good. She CONSTANTLY pulled them off when being ridden, even in bell boots. The next time, we were able to pull the shoes and she's been happily barefoot ever since (about 2 years). Fortunately, she has great feet and I now use a trimmer who has done a great job keeping her feet in great shape even through the summers.

[Plumcreek]

There is more to it:

The horse's shoulder and leg conformation dictates whether heavier shoes will change their front movement or not. If a horse has a decent open 90 degree shoulder and short cannon length, they will not show much change in front leg movement in various shoes. If the horse has a closed shoulder with set back front legs, and especially if the cannon bone length is not short, even of average length for their size, then every ounce of weight added to their hoof means they will have to raise their knee higher to lever the lower leg forward. Good shoulder muscling will also mitigate knee action. If the horse does not have good shoulder muscling and has an average to long cannon, they need to raise their knees more to compensate for lack of muscle strength. Look at the hack winners and you will seldom see weedy horses, even average length cannons or low, closed shoulders.

So, for a horse with 'knee' that needs shoes, I would keep them in steel for training, then put them in aluminum for showing. If they are a flat only HUS, or jumping very low, you could go with racing plates with the toe grab ground off - this will eliminate an ounce or two, and will make them better. I have hefted aluminums and racing plates simultaneously and the racing plates are lighter.

Of my two good movers, the average cannon length mare with the great shoulder absolutely needs every advantage as above to avoid knee action (she does look like a saddlebred in steel shoes). The very short cannoned gelding with the average shoulder but great muscling moves dead flat-kneed no matter what he wears.

[CBoylen]

They never move as good when you put the shoes on. That's why we take them off again when the hack is the decider at a big show ;). However, sometimes with the first set of shoes they need some time to get used to them and they will improve a bit from where they start out when you first put them on. Aluminum over steel definitely makes a big difference in most horses, you see very few hunters in steel, and even fewer that are still competitive hackers in steel.

[Jersey Fresh]

They never move as good when you put the shoes on. That's why we take them off again when the hack is the decider at a big show ;). However, sometimes with the first set of shoes they need some time to get used to them and they will improve a bit from where they start out when you first put them on. Aluminum over steel definitely makes a big difference in most horses, you see very few hunters in steel, and even fewer that are still competitive hackers in steel.

I didnt notice much change when my baby got his front shoes (my trainer did it bugged her). But man when he got hind shoes on he took a while to get used to them! It was like riding a sewing machine behind and he just felt really funny. He acted like we but huge weighted boots on his back legs. He settled after two days of work in them and was fine. =)

[mvp]

I'd also have the farrier set the shoes back a bit-- almost like a natural balance shoeing job. If you don't know what that means or think it's Pat Parelli meets tofu meets on-line PhD, then dig a little deeper with your smart farrier. The mechanical point here is to make breakover faster so the horse doesn't have to lift his knee to get his toe to leave the ground.

[LMH]

So leave the shoes off.:D

[SCF01]

She's on her second set now and I told the farrier we'd likely try aluminum next time. She's got gorgeous feet but she got a bruise back in August and is usually tender on bluestone (which you sometimes can't help showing on) so we tried the shoes. They are the NB-squared in the front type shoe, but in steel. She's also got bell boots on 24/7. I was so sad when I first saw my hackney trotting. :no:

[starrysky]

That happened to the horse I was leasing - he was a 3 year old Haflinger, and moved pretty cute when barefoot. We had shoes put on him for the first time (owner was doing a lot of trail riding on rough terrain, and his feet were not holding up anymore) and he had quite a bit more knee action.