Had to pick between aluminum and steel shoes for this one nasty front hoof last week

Got a horse with some serious quarter cracks and the owner wanted to keep riding through winter. I was torn. Aluminum would be lighter and might let the hoof flex more, but steel holds up better in mud and gravel. I went with steel, welded on a clip, and put some packing in there. Three days later the owner called saying the horse was dead lame again. Turns out the crack was deeper than I thought and the extra rigidity of the steel was making it worse. Now I gotta pull them and try aluminum. Anyone else run into this where the "tougher" option backfires?

2 comments

2 Comments

stellat871mo ago

Pulled a set of steels off a mare last fall because the extra stiffness made her caudal heel pain scream like a banshee, felt like a real genius when the aluminums fixed it overnight.

the_henry1mo ago

Whoa, that's a big difference! So was it just the overall stiffness of the steel shoe making her land harder on that heel, or was it something about how the shoe fit her foot that caused the pain? I'm wondering if it was the lack of shock absorption or if the steel just didn't let her heel move like it needed to. Did you ever try any kind of wedge or pad with the steels before you switched?