Racing plates??

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ribena73

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I've just bought a 6yr old Irish TB mare who is very sweet and allegedly hasn't raced (although an internet search found her entered in a point to point in Ireland in May but they may have done a ringer as she's not at all fit and if she had raced in May I would have expected her to have some degree of fitness although I might be wrong?). Anyway, the person I bought her from told me she arrived over here at the end of May, but when I was examining her feet this morning I noticed that she had racing plates on all 4 feet. I was wondering if there would a a reason for this, I was told she was show 2 weeks ago over her, and am curious as to why a farrier would shoe a horse with racing plates?

Apart from that the mare is lovely, fantastic temperment and lovely conformation and very willing to learn, I just want to make sure that I do everything I can to keep her happy and healthy. I will ask her old owner but am not sure how truthful she is given the "she hasn't raced" incident....

If anyone has any ideas why she would be shod like this I'd appreciate it.......
 
They must be lightweight steel shoes as they are not aluminium. They have no toe clips on any of them, I guess it could be preference if that's what she had on her when she came over? I'm just a bit sceptical of her background considering the fibs I've been told abot her already.

On the bright side, I did speak to her trainer/owner in Ireland before I bought her and he told me she raced once and retired sound, just wasn;t fast enough, and I guess he has no reason to lie to me. He also said she had a lovely temperment and was really quiet which was most important to me. But then I guess he could still have raced another horse on her passport but of course wouldn't tell me that!

I'm learning that some people selling horses can be like second hand car dealers!

Going back to the shoes, is it worht me sticking with those shoes or going for the "normal" shoes?
 
It seems like it was a racing yard in Ireland but she's supposedly been in South Wales in a normal livery yard since the end of May, so her last set of shoes were put on there
 
Racing plates are also known as showing plates in the showing world - but as they are now known for their longevity, I can't imagne that someone would bother to put a set on for one show unless it was a very important one that they expected the horse to do well at. Did she say what the show was?
 
My ex racer would swell up on his hind fetlocks if shod with normal hunter shoes, so he was shod with the lighter ones.
 
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