Why Shoe Horses
Horses are lovely and very intelligent animals. They bring exclusively joy and benefit to a person, which is why they need to be taken care of. First of all, you should know why horses are shoeed, because proper shoeing is one of the most important stages in keeping this animal. The farmer needs to know what types of horseshoes are and how horses are shoeed.
Why shoe horses
Sometimes people who are inexperienced and unfamiliar with horses have doubts about whether this procedure is really necessary and whether it hurts the horse. Why shoe horses, if wild animals do well without it in free keeping? A horseshoe is a simple means of protecting hooves, just like human shoes. Modern horseshoes protect the hoof tissue from mechanical damage and various diseases.
Some farmers, with proper knowledge, carry out such a procedure as forging a horseshoe on their own at home. There are also horse breeders who order heels and invite a specialist to install them. Before choosing a heel, it is best to consult with a professional so as not to make a mistake with the size and material. You can chat on various forums with breeders and grooms from different countries, as well as watch photos and videos.
Why does a horse need a horseshoe
When a horse lives in natural conditions, it carries only its own weight, so the processes of abrasion and tissue regeneration have time to replace each other. So a wild horse lives without horseshoes. The need for a horseshoe arose when horses began to be used by humans as a means of transportation, transportation of certain products and things. The work of the horse was also complicated by the fact that over time the road surface became rougher, and now it has become very hard, unsuitable for bare hooves.
Shoeing horses began to be practiced in the age of antiquity. Of course, the horseshoes of those times were not like those to which we are accustomed. Today there are many types and modern horseshoes for horses are very popular. There were also different ways of attaching a horseshoe. For example, the Romans tied the horseshoes of their horses with belts, but, unfortunately, such fastening was not reliable. Nailing horseshoes with nails was invented later. At the moment, this mount is the most reliable.
Functions of the heel of horses
- a horse shoe protects tissues from mechanical damage, and it is convenient for the animal to step on the ground and run;
- promotes stability on slippery surfaces and helps to secure the foot;
- minimizes the likelihood of injury;
- performs an orthopedic function.
Horses that are on grazing, that is, for which a wild method of raising is used, is not forged. The animal walks on a soft natural surface without additional stress. Consequently, the processes of abrasion and regeneration take place in parallel. Sometimes it happens that the hoof horn does not have time to wear out. In such cases, it is even pruned.Another reason is that horses in the herd often play, and horseshoes can even be traumatic.
It is of course very important to choose the right horseshoes. They are divided into two types: sports, designed for horses participating in competition, and standard.
There are parameters for choosing horseshoes.
- body weight;
- hoof size;
- the work done by the animal.
The procedure for fitting a horseshoe is as follows: first, the hoof is measured in length and width. Caring manufacturers put a number on the horse's shoe in the upper part, like the size of a person's shoe. Accordingly, the larger the leg, the larger the number. The number on the heels of the horseshoe and its varieties begins with number 00 (for the smallest). Marks are placed not only in order to know the size of the foot.
The rear and front heels are also different: they have a different contour. Horseshoes for different horses differ in the smoothness of the surface. For example, for the winter period, a studded horseshoe is placed, which protects the horse from slipping on the ice. For summer and smooth surfaces, use a horseshoe shoe. Until now, there are German types of horseshoes on sale. When choosing a modern heel, you should be careful with the manufacturer, since different countries sometimes label sizes differently.
In order not to be mistaken in the choice, there are special tables where the sizes are translated from foreign to ours. The types of horseshoes are so diverse that they may differ in the materials from which they are made. It can be plastic, rubber, or metal. Before purchasing, you should look at the photo and study the reviews about the selected type of horseshoes.
Types of horseshoes
Of course, metal is the oldest and most proven material even for a modern horseshoe. All types of metal and its forging, even now, remain popular. But in the light of scientific and technological progress, rubber and plastic horseshoes have their advantages. Among them are the following:
- Plastic and rubber are better shock absorbers than metal.
- To fasten such horseshoes, nails are not needed, since they have their own special fastening, which is an integral part of the heel.
- Plastic and rubber horseshoes gain in weight: they are much lighter than their metal counterparts. That is why they are more often used for sport horses.
There are other opinions as well. Some experts argue that the glue base on which the horseshoe is attached is harmful to animals, as it consists of chemicals. Others argue that "lightweight shoes" can improve the well-being of horses.
How to make a horseshoe correctly
The horses are shoeed by specially trained people - forged. They know how to properly shoe a domestic horse, what types of horseshoes are, how long they will last and how not to hurt the animal. Usually good specialists are engaged in both the manufacture and the horseshoeing of animals. They work in equestrian clubs and can often provide such a service on the road for a fee.
In fact, everything is as simple as it seems at first glance. Forging is a job that requires a lot of physical strength and nervous stability. Sometimes it can be traumatic if the horse is nervous or not accustomed to the shoe, so at the first stage of this process, the horse must be fixed. A calm horse is usually tied to the halter. If the animal is nervous and violent, then it will have to be put in the pen.
How to shoe a horse correctly? Of course, the shoe begins with the measurement of the hoof, which is transferred to a special steel bar. Then this bar is cut to the required size, heated and cooled in water, after which the ends are gradually processed. Then this workpiece is heated again, but without cooling, giving it the desired shape. But the work does not end there, since such a heel does not yet have a hole for nails.In order to make such holes, a groove is marked, this is usually done with a compass. Then the product is warmed up again and holes are punched for nails (uhnali). After that, the finished horseshoe is sanded to avoid unwanted injury to the horse. Only after all safety measures are taken, the horse begins to shoe.
Stages of shoeing horses
- If this is not a young horse and it already has a heel, then the old horseshoe must be removed. There are special tools for this: a forging hammer, cutters and pliers. If broken nails remain in the horse's shoe, they must be removed.
- No matter how tightly the heel fits, if the gap remains and debris gets there, the hoof is trimmed. To do this, use a hoof hook and brush. Also at this stage, the hoof horn, if it was deformed, is given the correct shape.
- Now you can take measurements to find out what number the horse needs. For this, the hoof is measured in length, width between the walls and at the heels.
- It often happens that the horseshoe does not fit the hoof perfectly, as each horse is unique. In this case, the forge modifies it on the anvil.
- The horseshoe fits on the hoof and is very neatly fastened with nails. The nails that come out are cut off near the hoof horn, then special pliers are placed under them and clamped with a hammer to tighten the heel and hoof. Further, sharp edges are sanded with a rasp.
You should be very careful and careful, as the wrong heel and the installation itself can leave the horse disabled. To shoe your pet yourself, you need to learn from an experienced and competent farrier, and even better, make the first attempts under the supervision of a specialist.
Helpful tips for the farmer
After you have shod your horse, you need to check if he is comfortable. To do this, you need to walk the pet, and if the horse does not start limping at a trot, then the heel is installed correctly. An indicator that a horse is well-grounded is when he walks calmly and runs without limping. It is also recommended not to immediately load a newly shod horse. It doesn't take much time to make a horseshoe. For 2 experienced farmers it takes 15 minutes.
Naturally, making a horseshoe alone will take much more time and effort. How often should a horse be reforged? This question cannot be answered unequivocally, since it depends on many factors, such as the degree of load, wear, and sometimes just damage to the horseshoe. On average, horseshoes are changed once a month (30 days). More often, it is not recommended to do this without special need in order to avoid hoof diseases.
Ultimately, shoeing a stallion is easy enough if you know someone who can help with this business or teach you the correct procedure. If you follow all the rules for shoeing and walking horses, raising healthy and hardy horses will be easier than ever.