Studs - advantages & disadvantages

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hairycob

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Son always uses studs XC & on the odd occasion he goes SJ on grass, but not if he's schooling over a couple of jumps at home. I'm aware that there are disadvantages in terms of weat & tear on legs but I want to understand in a technical, physiological way what they are so we can make more informed decisions. Can anybody point me to an article/website that is understandable to someone without an anatomy degree?
 
sorry, but the only disadvantages I can see are in compromised foot balance (but worth it to prevent slipping, which might be a lot more disastrous) and in the faff of putting them in (hugely diminished imho by using supastuds flat keeper studs the night before comp and then swapping them before competing.)
other than that, using huge studs in front is a total no-no imho, not only because of danger to the rider if they get trodden on, but also because if the horse tries to turn on landing the foot might be too securely anchored... i have heard of a case where this happened and led to instant spiral fracture of front leg... :( :( :(
as to finding something technical, you could ask your vet I guess, they might know of something.
 
hairycob said:
I'm aware that there are disadvantages in terms of weat & tear on legs but I want to understand in a technical, physiological way what they are so we can make more informed decisions.
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I really wouldn't worry about wear and tear on the legs - studs are in for a short period of time, and especially if used on soft ground, will probably not cause more forces that the wear and tear of slipping.

Having seen horses fall over, even in "good" conditions, I think the rather minor risk of using simple studs outweighs the risk of not using them.

Obviously it varies depending on hoof shape and surefootedness, but I think most horses appreciate one in behind!
 
other two have summed it up - i'd not risk competing without them tbh - or even some xc schooling etc - i used to have my mare barefoot so have expereinced every possibility and swear by studs for grip etc
 
Horse used to be barefoot behind but he is doing so much more work this year he is now shod behind. Sounds like we are getting it about right at the moment which is one less thing to worry about. I am worried I might be turing into an anatomy geek - a nearby college has a 1 day course on lower leg anatomy with dissection & OH thinks I'm wierd for thinking it will be fascinating!
 
I was off cubhunting a few years ago, and horsey had lost both back shoes but I went anyway. Coming to a wall downhill and he completely lost his footing behind and ski-ed for yards. I know it's not practical to have studs in for hunting, but any other grass competition if I thought it was slightly slippy I would use studs.
 
so long as you have 2 studs in each shoe the foot should still be reasonably balanced, but its a no no to just use 1 stud in each shoe
i hates studs but use them all the time when on grass, be it showing or jumping they go in, over winter i have hind shoes taken off but back on spring time so i can get studs in
 
I think putting studs in has made a difference in my horses jumping ,he's a lot more confident.
I have rode for someone who had the horse barefoot. It had hardly any grip, and I wouldn't go xc without studs now. Eventing last weekend, while walking the course the I watched a barefoot horse slide down a steep hill, could barley turn at the bottom for the fence and scrambled over it, fine at BE90 but any bigger either the horse wouldn't of jumped or fell over the fence.
As I have just started using studs I always use smaller than larger ones, until my horse gets used to it. Also don't leave studs in for long so reduces risk of strain and injury. On soft ground the studs sink in so there is no strain, walking about on hard ground/road might but this would only be very a short, like crossing a path or something.
 
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odd1 said:
its a no no to just use 1 stud in each shoe
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Not a universal "no no"! ;) There are pros/cons to 1 stud vs 2 stud argument and everyone has their own opinion on which is better/worse.

I went with the advice of others on here combined with my farrier and use 1 stud per foot (outside!), using as small a stud as I can get away with. The thinking is that 1 stud gives grip, but doesn't "anchor" the foot and allows natural twisting if needs be (which is what would happen if there were no studs involved). Obviously, different set ups work for different horses etc.
 
FigJam said:
Not a universal "no no"! ;) There are pros/cons to 1 stud vs 2 stud argument and everyone has their own opinion on which is better/worse.

I went with the advice of others on here combined with my farrier and use 1 stud per foot (outside!), using as small a stud as I can get away with. The thinking is that 1 stud gives grip, but doesn't "anchor" the foot and allows natural twisting if needs be (which is what would happen if there were no studs involved). Obviously, different set ups work for different horses etc.
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I'm a one-stud girl too! It's what my eventing/hunting farrier recommends.
 
odd1 said:
its a no no to just use 1 stud in each shoe
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My farrier won't let me have more than 1, he says that the jarring from the multi studding is not good for them and much better to allow the pivot

That said I've heard some eventers have 4 studs in each foot

Maybe its because my farrier hates putting holes in?:D
 
I'm with CotswoldSJ. I think the advantages outweitgh not using them. I only use 1 stud in the outside edge as well. My farrier hates studs but he's never ridden a horse full stop let alone on wet, slippy ground!
 
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