Loading…
13
Local trend: Farriers here are ditching steel for aluminum on sport horses
Lighter shoes help performance but wear out fast, making me wonder if it's worth it.
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
victor_stone6mo ago
Have you looked into composite shoes as a middle ground? My thoroughbred eventer wore through aluminum too fast, so we switched to a steel toe with aluminum heels. It gave him that lighter feel for jumping without wearing down in a month. We got about eight weeks between resets, which saved money and kept him performing well!
3
karen_owens6mo ago
3
abby_palmer6mo ago
Actually, aluminum heels are known for lasting longer than steel in some cases because they're softer and absorb shock instead of just resisting it. My farrier explained that steel can get brittle and chip, while aluminum wears down more evenly. We used aluminum on a heavy horse who kept cracking steel heels, and they held up for a full shoeing cycle. What kind of ground is your horse working on most of the time?
3