HOOF-it Plastic Horseshoe

Having used the HOOF-it Natural Flex Horseshoes on my horse for around 12 months including in the Snowy Mountains of Wyoming I decided to try them on the annual “Outlaw Trail Ride” across Wyoming to Thermopolis (www.rideoutlawtrail.com). 

This year I was a group leader on the trail. HOOF-it kindly provided a set of shoes for the ride as a trial. This ride is quite demanding on both horses and riders so it is important for a horse, its equipment and its rider to be fully prepared and fit to avoid problems on the trail. The ride has a total length of 110 miles ridden over 7 days with 1 rest day. As a group leader the actual riding distance is longer as there is always something to be attended to that requires leaving the group temporarily. The country covered is particularly rugged with elevations of over 9000 feet in places. The ground is frequently very rocky putting a lot of reliance on good shoes and a good farrier to fit them. The ride has a supporting farrier, veterinarian, vet-techs and doctors so both riders and horses have help in the event of problems.  

I had the shoes fitted by my farrier at my home in Cheyenne a few days before leaving for the ride. I had him put a full set of nails in as the only problems I had seen previously was the shoe distorting on the foot when heavily worn. With only 3 nails in each side this seems to be a minor problem which may not arise on normal ground. Riding in rough country can put enormous sideways pressure on both hooves and shoes.  

The shoes worked well over the ride and I think the hooves benefit from maintaining their flexibility that is lost with steel shoes. Wear was about the same as with steel so I do not anticipate having to replace them earlier than the next scheduled farrier visit. Grip on rock slopes and when crossing rocky stream beds is good. The farrier and the vet pointed out that this is both a good thing and a bad thing. In the event of a horse having weak or sore joints the extra grip may cause aggravation of the condition. However for a fit horse the extra grip I think minimizes risk of injury caused by unsteady footing. I have no hesitation in recommending these shoes for trail or endurance riding on the basis of my experience with them. I think more of the OTR team will fit them next year. One rider did point out as the thunder started that the risk of lightning strike could be reduced – a feature I was not keen to test!