Shoeing Halter Horses
May 14, 2012
To shoe or not to shoe? Find out at what age these AQHA Professional Horsemen prefer to shoe their halter horses.
Question:
At what age does a halter horse need to wear shoes?
For our answer, we referred to AQHA Professional Horsemen Doug Landon and Luke Castle. In the May American Quarter Horse Journal, Doug and Luke share their tips for preparing halter futurity foals.
Answer:
As a rule, I show my weanlings barefoot. I did put some small plates on one when we went to the All American Quarter Horse Congress, but we pulled them after we got done showing.
A lot of people want to put an angled shoe on a baby, and I think that just creates problems in a foal. With a baby that’s growing, if you start changing the angle of his foot, I think there will always be issues.
It’s a mistake to think you have to have a shoe on; I prefer to bring them barefoot.
– AQHA Professional Horseman Doug Landon of Clark, Missouri
People tend to want to show (foals) too early and leave shoes on too long. A horse’s feet need to spread and naturally grow. You can’t take away from that process.
I’ll put shoes on a weanling the week before the AQHA World Championship Show, but they come off soon after.
AQHA Professional Horseman Luke Castle of Wayne, Oklahoma
To learn more from Doug and Luke about caring for preparing halter futurity foals, read “Futurity Prep” on Page 104 of the May 2012 issue of The American Quarter Horse Journal.
The American Quarter Horse Journal contains great horse health advice each month, along with event coverage, horse training tips, horse showing articles and much more. Subscribe today to keep great information coming to your mailbox every month. Your subscription to the Journal comes complete with access to the digital edition, so you can read each issue on the go.
Comments
4 Comments on “Shoeing Halter Horses”
Add a Comment
May 14th, 2012 at 3:24 pm
What’s the reasoning behind putting shoes on a horse that young? I’ve never seen a weanling that needed shoes, ever. If you have a weanling (or any age horse for that matter) whose feet are so bad that he needs shoes to be led around an arena, then showing him in a halter class is the least of your concerns. Research shows that even under ideal conditions, the hoof isn’t fully mature until age 4 or 5. Putting shoes on a horse, even for a brief period, before their feet are fully grown is just begging for problems down the line. But, I guess if you’re a professional and trying to sell these weanlings you’re showing, it doesn’t matter what their feet end up looking like. Not your problem.
May 16th, 2012 at 3:31 pm
I have shod weanlings and shown them at all levels. I have 2 of them to this day, both are 12 yrs old. NEVER had a moments problem with either horse. The stallion weighed up to 1300 lbs at 2yrs old and I believe the shoe regimin I used actually save his hooves and legs. So many ‘unknowns’ can happen unshod with stones etc. Correct use of shoes have no consequence as far as I am concerned. Its not fair to condemn these guys, professional or not, for using a tool to show a weanling to the best of its ability. Dont be so quick to judge. Correct use of shoes can save a young horse.
May 16th, 2012 at 6:09 pm
does it make a difference in how the horses are judged if they have shoes or not, at any age and any level. thanks Carla
May 17th, 2012 at 10:48 am
Jamie, there are always consequences to shoeing. A shoe restricts the expansion and contraction of the hoof and reduces blood circulation. That’s why the old-timer farriers would always recommend keeping a horse barefoot for at least 4-5 months of the year, to let the hoof recover. People start shoeing at 2 or 3 yrs old, then a few years later they pull the shoes and try to let the horse go barefoot. When the horse walks on anything but the softest of ground it’s in a lot of pain. The owner then points to this horse as one that “absolutely needs shoes.” Well, it wasn’t born needing shoes, it needs shoes now b/c it was never allowed to develop strong healthy hooves. Any horse that can’t work on normal arena footing while barefoot has some serious problems going on inside their feet that are being masked by shoes. Unfortunately, often the shoes only mask the problems for so long. Then you need shoes with pads, then shoes with wedges, then bar shoes, and so on.