Thank goodness for Fran Jurga because she brings that focus on hooves that can really help you understand an important side of the story. While I’d seen photos of Shackleford’s hooves (lots of epoxy!), here’s the interesting part. He’s wearing synthetic glue on shoes! Read the whole story here.
EQUINE Ink
My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
Hi Liz, thanks so much for mentioning Shackleford and my story about his shoes! These shoes–and others like them–are finding their way onto recreational,show and sport horses too.
They do have a metal wire at their core to help them hold their shape, and they have a little metal wear plate at the toe, so they are sort of a hybrid, but they bring relief on some level to a lot of horses, who seem to run well in them. For whatever reason, these shoes seem to have gained more acceptance than previous attempts at an alternative to a nailed on metal shoe for racehorses.
Change comes very slowly on the racetrack but you have to thank anything that might help a horse have an easier time of it out there!
Thanks again!
All the best,
Fran