What are horseshoes and horseshoeing? The first step in understanding horseshoes and the process of shoeing is to become familiar with the anatomy and terminology of the foot. The parts of a horse’s foot After becoming familiar with this nomenclature, it is much easier for horse owners and farriers (blacksmiths and horseshoers) to communicate. Although horse owners seldom shoe their own horses, they should be familiar with the processes involved in order to make proper decisions concerning shoe selection or corrective shoeing.
In most instances, shoes will not be needed for corrective purposes but merely for protection. In either case, the owner should be aware of the options and make a decision based on the materials available. Just as a financial consultant can only recommend where to place investments, the ultimate decision lies with the owner.
Horse owners should be familiar with what constitutes a proper stance, motions, or faulty motions, and ways of improving them through trimming and shoeing. The owner should also be familiar with horseshoeing tools and how to use them, be able to recognize good or faulty shoeing, be familiar with various types of shoes, and be able to give emergency assistance in the event a shoe is torn off, etc.
The principle of shoeing is simply to hold a protective plate against the hoof, fastened by a few nails driven into the insensitive part of the hoof. The key to shoeing is to thoroughly understand the separation between sensitive and insensitive parts.
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