Rubber shoes

[JaneyB]

Anyone used them for their horses or know anyone that has?

Experiences/comments welcome

 

[Irishcobs]

Plastic shoes yes, but I've never heard of rubber shoes.

 

[Oldred]

I used them about 8 years ago on my navicular syndrome horse. She initially went well in them but I noticed that her hoof wall started to do strange things, namely flare out low down and start splitting which had never happened before. We had to change back to normal shoes after only several months and it didn't happen again.

 

[JaneyB]

Plastic shoes? wouldn't they slip on the roads?

 

[PapaFrita]

Do you mean the ones that are like boots (are they called Old Macs or similar?), or rubber-coated metal ones?
Not that I know much about either but I remember my farrier saying he didn't like the rubber-coated ones because they jar horses legs on making contact with the ground (especially roads)

 

[JaneyB]

The rubber coated metal ones.

Funny you should say that as it's exactly what someone said today when I spoke to them about them. Said they were fantastic anti-slip/concusion shoes, but because they gripped with the road so well they jarred the knee's and fetlocks

 

[Farrieress]

They were advertised as being trainers for horses, but horses dont walk or load like humans, so i think the comparison was completely unrealistic. The shoes especially on the road cause concussion as they dig into the tarmac and stop dead which jars the joints which effectivly cause the one thing they were designed to prevent! Subsiquently they went out as fast as they came in!

 

[Nari]

I used them years ago on my arthritic pony, He was pretty much pensioned off though & his action didn't allow for much slip anyway so I don't think the rubber shoes caused him any problems in that respect. For him they were fantastic, he immediatley went sounder, became much more active in the field & on his short in hand walks & stayed that way until he died a couple of years later.

 

[Farrieress]

were they rubber or plastic?

 

[JaneyB]

Yes i'm gathering the rubber shoes have this effect.

The 'easywalkers' look better as they mimic the natural hoof better and interact with the road more naturally

 

[Nari]

Farrieress they were definately rubber although they obviously had a metal centre. As I say they worked well for him & the vet was quite happy with them too in his case but did say that they don't like to se them on working horses unless there's a very good reason.