Rubber Shoes

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Ginn

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Anyone use them? Having looked at some papers it would appear that rubber shoes are better regarding concussion then metal ones, infact they seem to be almost comparable to unshod when it comes to shock absorbsion on hard ground.

So anyone have anything to say, good or bad? How much do they cost compared to normal shoes? How do they wear?
 
HAd a discussion about these about a year ago with a well respected farrier. My thoughts being that yes as far as concussion (foot on a hard surface) is they must be good, as have good shock absorbing qualities, but surely would creat jarring up the horses leg, as the foot naturally moves slightly on impact with a hard surface, and it is that slight movement that absorbs impact in a shod/unshod horse. However, because of the amount of grip a rubber shoe gives, it would "stop" the foot dead on impact, and therefore the joints in the leg would have to absorb the impact, and IMO, that could cause serious damage on limbs in long term usage.
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The problem with rubber shoes (and why they haven't really caught on) is that the horses hoof is naturally designed to slide slightly when they land and twist as they strike off. Rubber shoes provide too much grip and as such the horse has to put more effort into sliding and twisting the hoof which places more strain on the joints etc. This is very simplified and only what I can remember from my lectures!
 
You are at Bristol aren't you? Talk to Jeremy Burn about it, he will fill you in on all the fascinating facts of equine shoes and surfaces!
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Hi! I used them for 2 months on my barefoot horse after he took an abcess (while the hole was closing over).
I tried the Ollov variety and found them very good.
The shoes cost me £70 per set and wore extremely well. Apparently your horse will wear it's first set quicker than the second, due to the difference in traction, but I didnt find this.
I decided to use them because they cut down concussion to the joints and as I like doing alot of hacking I thought this could only be a good thing.
The only negative feedback I heard was that due to their thickness, they can cause the heels to contract, as the frog has absolutely no contact with the ground and is therefore unable to do it's job.
Having said that I would use them again, if I needed to, but recognise they aren't for everyone.
 
A showjumper i used to work for went through a phase of trying them out. She switched back quite quickly after speaking with a vet at Liverpool I believe it was, who agreed with what others have said.... they cause jarring of the legs.

Metal shoes will slip slightly... rubber shoes will not - at all. She switched because where we were was very very hilly and yes, the horses certainly werent slipping but the vet in question was really very critical of the long term effects on their legs.

I dont remember how much they were, I never had them on mine.
 
can't you get rubber pads that sit between the metal shoe and the horses hoof to reduce jarring without giving any more grip or am i just going barmy!
 
Yep you can get "pads" on horses feet, that as you say fit between shoes and foot, and also cover the sole. VEry good for horses with flat feet or prone to bruising. However shoes ont last aslong as they loosen quicker, and they are not cheap.... but obviously a necessity for some horses.
 
aren't the ones that cover the sole made of white plasticy stuff. sorry don't know much bout this but its always good to learn whilst you get the chance!
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Yep its heat moulded to the foot, they put it in hot water, and then whilst it is pliable put it on the whole bottom of the foot. The shoe is then nailed on on top.
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Its like a gel typle plastic, but quite hard.
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I used to have an endurance race horse which had them.
Was very pleased with them and did not have all of the problems that every one warned me about.
I used to do alot of cantering on roads and tracks and before i used them my mare used to get sore shins. but completley prevented it. It took awhile of steady work for her to get used to them but they actually improved her gait as she like the stability it gave her. she competed in them for 7 yrs and retired totally sound. not even a splint!!
Are pricey though. liked the fact that they had a wide spread of load, never caused contracted heals and lasted longer than normal shoes.
 
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can't you get rubber pads that sit between the metal shoe and the horses hoof to reduce jarring without giving any more grip or am i just going barmy!

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yep quite a few of the older horses at my yard have these they have a gel in them which reduces jarring, they stop them being foot sore when the ground gets hard. A fair few have them at my yard and no problems apart from if a horse is good at loosing shoes they sometimes get the hang of breaking the rubber which lets out the gel!
 
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You are at Bristol aren't you? Talk to Jeremy Burn about it, he will fill you in on all the fascinating facts of equine shoes and surfaces!
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Well it was his fault I got thinking about it in the first place.... From the results of force impacts I've seen on paper I'd seriously consider rubber shoes but like KatB pointed out, its not that simple - definately something to ponder though (there goes any chance of revision over the next few days!)
 
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can't you get rubber pads that sit between the metal shoe and the horses hoof to reduce jarring without giving any more grip or am i just going barmy!

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If so that sounds like a possible compromise....
 
Sort of, just more out of interest though it looks like she'll be having shoes on pretty soon (sooner if its the roads doing for her feet atm!) and I was just wanting to explore my options, idle curiousity more than anything! *rollseyes*
 
LoL!! Really dont worry about pads etc, they are very rarely needed, and only in relatively desperate circumstances are they used! If farrier has said she has good feet, it isnt something you should ever really have to consider....
 
It wasn't due to problems with her feet I was thinking over rubber, more the fact it looks like she'll have fronts on sooner than planned and beening the totally neurotic mum that I am I just wanted to make sure she had the best! (Sad, I know
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Having read a bit of research I noticed that rubber had far better shock absorbing properties (well obviously it does but you know what I mean!) than the standard metal shoes and so thinking long term I wondered if anyone had used rubber.

Equally, anyone used the funny continental shoes??
 
Presumably the rubber shoes WILL allow the foot to expand/contract in the way that an iron shoe does not? This is the main reason I keep my filly barefoot - I hate the idea that the foot is losing its natural elasticity - and I saw a very striking picture once of 4 horses in snow. The 3 shod ones had snow to their knees/hocks. The barefoot one had no snow anywhere -its circulation was so much better the snow had melted off...

so - am wondering about the concussion concept - iron shoes create their own concussion problems by failing to allow the natural expansion/contraction of the hoof, which takes up a lot of impact stress (so I'm told) and THIS is then transferred up the leg. So if rubber shoes allow this, and could be made with a tad less traction, I'd have thought they were a good idea.

how do they compare with hoof boots, which seem to be worn endlessly by barefooted horses in competition (except eventing, where, bizarrely, they're not allowed)

E
 
hi i had to use glue on shoes couple of summers ago because my horses feet were really brittle, but i couldnt recommend, the sand from schools or comp venues got behind the petals and loosened them, and they were really slippy on grass, and you could n't put studs in. They also still ripped bits of his brittle hoof off. i used to have to carry super glue with me, even tried girly nail glue! and my farrier moaned every time he had to fit them.

Good food TLC and suppliments and i've now got good enough feet for traditional shoes.
 
Fair enough, I use New balance type shoes in front, and they seem to suit G well, only changed after alot of research and conversations with my farrier. To me, the shape seems alot more natural than that of conventional shoes.
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I used Olovs and also pure plastic ones and I loved them. I found them better that metal shoes, much more natural. My problem was only that my horse lost them a lot, maybe because they are thiker and she stepped into them with the hind legs. Now I changed to barefood and to real shoes (the one you can put on just for riding), which is totally fine for my horse. But I would always prefere to have rubber shoes than metall ones.
 
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