Why shoe horses

19-04-2018

Tips and ideas

Horses are beautiful and very intelligent animals. They bring only joy and benefit to the person, which is why they need to be taken care of. First of all, you should know why horses are shodled, because proper shoeing is one of the most important stages of keeping this animal. The farmer needs to know what types of horseshoes are and how horses are shod.

Why shoe horses

Sometimes, people who are inexperienced and unfamiliar with horses have doubts whether this procedure is really necessary and whether the horse is hurt. Why horses are being shodded, if wild animals on free keeping do very well without it? Horseshoe - a simple means of protecting the hooves, like a man's shoes. Modern horseshoes protect hoof tissues from mechanical damage and various diseases.

Some farmers with proper knowledge carry out such a procedure as forging a horseshoe on their own at home. There are also horse breeders who order the hemmers and invite a specialist to install them. Before choosing a tack, it is best to consult a professional in order not to be mistaken with the size and material. You can chat on various forums with breeders and grooms from different countries, as well as see photos and videos.

Why does a horse need a horseshoe

When a horse lives in natural conditions, it carries only its weight, therefore the processes of abrasion and tissue regeneration have time to change each other. So a wild horse lives without horseshoes. The need for a horseshoe arose when horses were used by man as a means of transportation, the transport of certain products and things. Complicated work of the horse and the fact that over time, the road coverage has become rougher, and now it has become very tough, unsuitable for unmarked hooves.

Horse training began to be engaged in the age of antiquity. Of course, the horseshoes of those times were not like the ones we are used to. Today there are many species, and modern horseshoes for horses are very popular. There were also different ways of fastening the horseshoe. For example, the Romans tied the horseshoes of their horses with straps, but, unfortunately, such a mount was not reliable. To nail horseshoes with nails came up later. At the moment, this mount is the most reliable.

Taps in horses

horse horseshoe protects tissues from mechanical damage, and it is convenient for an animal to step on the ground and run;
promotes stability on slippery surfaces and helps secure the foot;
minimizes the chance of injury;
performs orthopedic function.

Do not forge horses that are on grazing, that is, for which the wild method of rearing is used. The animal walks on a soft natural covering without additional loading. Consequently, the processes of abrasion and regeneration are parallel. Sometimes it happens that the hoof does not have time to wear out. In such cases, it is even pruned. Another reason is that horses in the herd often play, and horseshoes can even be traumatic.

Of course, it is very important to choose the horseshoe. They are divided into two types: sport, designed for horses participating in competitions, and standard.

There are parameters for choosing horseshoes

body weight;
hoof size;
animal work

The procedure for selecting a horseshoe is as follows: first, measure the hoof in length and width. Caring manufacturers put on a horse-shoe at the top of the room, like the size of a person’s shoes. Accordingly, the larger the leg, the larger the number. The number on the heels of horseshoes and its variations begins with number 00 (for the smallest). Tags are placed not only in order to know the size of the feet.

Also, the back and front heels are different: they have a different contour. Horseshoes for different horses differ in surface smoothness. For example, for the winter period they put a studded horseshoe that prevents the horse from slipping on the ice. For summer and smooth surfaces use a horseshoe shoe. Until now, there are German kinds of horseshoes on sale. When choosing a modern print, you should be attentive to the manufacturer, as different countries sometimes mark sizes differently.

In order not to be mistaken in the choice, there are special tables, where dimensions are transferred from foreign to ours. The types of horseshoes are so diverse that they can also differ in the materials from which they are made. It can be plastic, rubber or metal. Before purchasing it is worth looking at the photos and studying the reviews of the selected horseshoe type.

Types of horseshoes

Of course, the oldest and most proven material, even for a modern horseshoe, is metal. All types of metal and its forging, even now retain popularity. But in the light of scientific and technological progress, rubber and plastic horseshoes have their advantages. Among them are the following:

Plastic and rubber are better shock absorbers than metal.
Nails are not needed for fastening such horseshoes, as they have their own special fastening, which is an integral part of the taps.
Plastic and rubber horseshoes win in weight: they are much lighter than their metal counterparts. That is why they are often used for sport horses.

There are other opinions. Some experts claim that the glue base, on which the horseshoe for horses is mounted, harms animals, as it consists of chemicals. Others argue that "light shoes" helps to improve the health of horses.

Russian trotterRussy trotter under Sedloromussky trotter

How to produce a horseshoe

Horse training is done by specially trained people - forged. They know how to shoe a domestic horse, what types of horseshoes there are, how long they will last and how not to hurt the animal. Usually, good specialists are engaged in both the manufacture and the shoeing of animals. They work in equestrian clubs and often for a fee can provide such a service on the road.

In fact, everything is as simple as it seems at first glance. Forging is a job requiring considerable physical strength and nervous stability. Sometimes it can be traumatic if the horse is nervous or not accustomed to horseshoeing, so the horse must be fixed at the first stage of this process. A calm horse is usually tied behind a halter. If the animal is nervous and wild, then it will have to be put in the machine.

How to shoe a horse correctly? Of course, the horseshoe starts with measuring the hoof, which is transferred to a special steel bar. Then this bar is cut to the desired size, warmed and cooled in water, then gradually process the ends. Then this billet is heated again, but without cooling, giving it the desired shape. But this work does not end there, since such a heel has not yet had a hole for nails. In order to make such holes, the groove is laid out; this is usually done by compass. Then the product is again heated and punched holes under the nails (left). After that, the ready-made horseshoe is ground to avoid unwanted injury to the horse. Only on the execution of all safety measures the horse begins to shovel.

Stages forging horses

If this is not a young horse and it already has a roll, then the old horseshoe must be removed. To do this, there are special tools: forging hammer, baking and tongs. If broken nails remain in the horseshoe, they must be removed.

No matter how firmly the seal is, if the gap remains and debris gets there, they clean the hoof. To do this, use hoofed hook and brush. Also at this stage the hoof horn, if it was deformed, is given the correct shape.

Now you can take measurements to find out what number the horse needs. For this, the hoof is measured in length, width between the walls and on the heels.

It often happens that a horseshoe is not ideally suited to the hoof, since each horse is unique. In this case, the coval refines it on the anvil.

The horseshoe is placed on the hoof and very carefully fastened with nails. Nails that have come out are cut around the hoofed horn, then special mites are placed under them and they are clamped with a hammer to tighten the heel and the hoof. Next, the sharp edges are polished with a rasp.

It should be very careful and cautious, as the wrong taps and the installation itself can leave the horse disabled. In order to shoe your pet yourself, you need to learn from an experienced and competent coveal, and even better, the first attempts should be carried out under the supervision of a specialist.

Good advice for the farmer

After you have shod a horse, you need to check whether it is comfortable. To do this, you need to hold your pet in steps, and if the horse does not begin to limp at a trot, then the heel is installed correctly. An indication that a horse is well-grounded is its calm walking and running without a limp. It is also recommended not to immediately load a newly grounded horse. Making a horseshoe does not take much time. For 2 experienced forged this thing 15 minutes.

Naturally, for the manufacture of a horseshoe alone will need much more time and effort. How often do you need to forge a horse? This question cannot be answered unambiguously, since it depends on many factors, such as the degree of load, wear and sometimes just damage to the horseshoe. On average, horseshoes are changed once a month (30 days). Often, it is not recommended to do this without special need in order to avoid hoof diseases.

In the end, forging a stallion is simple enough if you know someone who can help with this case or teach the proper conduct of the procedure. If you follow all the rules for shoeing and walking a horse, it will be easier to grow healthy and hardy horses.