i have a very rocky pasture for my belgians and am wondering if shoes are the answer for preventing chips to th hoofs or is frequent trims the way to go?

If you have rocky enough pasture to keep the feet from getting too long, you may have a very desirable situation where you can get your horses trimmed less frequently. For many, the pastures are too small and the terrain too soft, which means that there is no chipping and wearing away. The chipping, (as long as it is not excessive) is the normal signs of wear, and it is one of the ways that horses in the wild keep their feet from getting too long. For aesthetic purposes, frequent trims will make the feet look better. Shoeing will prevent all wear, but I would not recommend it if you are only worried about the look of the feet.