Stud holes - how many in each shoe?

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moneypit1

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As title really. I tend to have two in each front and one in each back. My farrier says I only need one in each shoe all round as two in each front increases the impact on the foot? I just want my horse to feel 'level' at the front. Just wondered what other peoples views on this are?
 
I have a 14.2hh gelding who does showjumping, ode and hunter trials upto 1m at present, and he has one stud whole in each shoe all around, and feel that this is perfectly adequate for what he is doing.

If I was going to have any more I would go with two holes in each hind and stick with just the one in the fronts.

This is just what I have found works the best for us.
 
Studs will always upset the balance of your horses feet, and increase jarring to the joints, especially on hard ground. If you feel they are nessesary, then IMO having 2 studs on each foot is far better than just one, as it maintains mediolateral (side to side) balance.

Imagine running along a path with one side of your foot higher than the other. Thats what having just one stud will do.

Having two will raise the heels somewhat, but that creates far less problems than just one.

As the horses foot lands heel first, the studs dig in and dosent really allow the foot to slide as it is designed to do. If you have just one stud, not only is the natural slide prevented, but the limb is also pivoted around the stud, so you have twisting forces at play aswell.

Of course, these problems are only really occuring on hard ground, so the smaller the stud the better. On good ground with some give, the above issues will rarely cause problems.
 
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I will never put 2 studs in my horses shoes again. My old retired horse has had his front feet destroyed because I double studded the fronts on the advice of an instructor. For 8 years Ihad jumped him on grass (SJ and XC) with one stud in each shoe. Then I went BSJA and my instructor told me I needed to double stud. SO I did. And the first time I did he went lame bilaterally. My horse always landed and immediately turned to the next jump. He jumped like a pony and was seriously quick in a jump off and could turn on a sixpence. With a single stud in a front foot he was able to pivot round it. Because I had double studded he could not pivot and sustained soft tissue damage in both feet. He has never recovered despite 2 years of treatment from Willesley Equine and over £10,000 of treatment. He is now retired. I now only compete my youngster on good ground and only every use one stud. I never use road studs or nails, as our roads are good, so I only ever stud on grass - where there is no road work at all.
 
my farrier put in permanet road studs as my pony slips around a bit on the road and he has one in the outside of each back shoe
 
Bosworth said:
I will never put 2 studs in my horses shoes again. My old retired horse has had his front feet destroyed because I double studded the fronts on the advice of an instructor. For 8 years Ihad jumped him on grass (SJ and XC) with one stud in each shoe. Then I went BSJA and my instructor told me I needed to double stud. SO I did. And the first time I did he went lame bilaterally. My horse always landed and immediately turned to the next jump. He jumped like a pony and was seriously quick in a jump off and could turn on a sixpence. With a single stud in a front foot he was able to pivot round it. Because I had double studded he could not pivot and sustained soft tissue damage in both feet. He has never recovered despite 2 years of treatment from Willesley Equine and over £10,000 of treatment. He is now retired. I now only compete my youngster on good ground and only every use one stud. I never use road studs or nails, as our roads are good, so I only ever stud on grass - where there is no road work at all.
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Thats actually a very good point which I overlooked. The activity for which the studs are required will have an influence on their number. Polo ponies have one in each hind for the very reason of being able to spin around easily.
 
I hardly ever use studs but if i do then only one in the hinds. The argument for balancing the foot by using 2 studs doesnt convince me- if the stud is doing its job it goes into the ground, not on top of it, so the foot isnt crooked anyway. If the ground is too hard for a stud to go in its either the wrong stud or the ground is so hard i wouldnt be jumping anyway.
As the horses foot lands heel first, the studs dig in and dosent really allow the foot to slide as it is designed to do. If you have just one stud, not only is the natural slide prevented, but the limb is also pivoted around the stud, so you have twisting forces at play aswell.
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This is the tricky thing. Its hard to know whats more important- the ability to slide slightly or the need to pivot. Personally i think studs in front cause far too much concussion up the limb, so wouldnt use any studs in front.
 
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