Rural Heritage - Village Smithy

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Shoeing only the front feet

Posted by John Swearengen at 2005-12-12 21:52:52

Just wondering your thoughts on shoeing just the front feet for trail riding? pros and cons?

Response by Chris Gregory, MS, CJF, FWCF at 2005-12-13 21:49:08

Most of the horse's weight, and most of the rider's weight, is borne by the front feet. As such, there is more wear on the fronts. It used to be more common to shoe only the front, since materials were scarce. Today, it is simply a matter of preference, determined by the amount of wear that the back feet receive between shoeings. I like to leave the backfeet bare on mares being bred, and on any horse that is prone to kick pasture mates.

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