Am I the only farrier who thinks aluminum shoes get a bad rap?

I was up at a clinic in Salem, Oregon last month and heard a bunch of guys trashing aluminum shoes. Saying they wear out too fast and offer no real support for the hoof. I've been using them on a few of my horses for about 6 months now, specifically on a trail horse that does 20+ miles a week on gravel. The shoes held up fine, the horse moved way better, and I didn't see any abnormal wear until week 5 or 6. I get that steel is tougher for heavy duty work or big draft horses, but for your average riding horse on good ground, aluminum seems lighter and kinder on the joints. Has anyone else had good luck with them for certain cases?

2 comments

2 Comments

nina8341mo agoTop Commenter

Read somewhere aluminum shoes can help reduce concussion on hard ground, big plus for older horses.

noah_black1mo ago

My farrier convinced me to try aluminum on a older horse with arthritis last year and I pulled them after three weeks. They wore down so uneven on the inside toe that the shoe was almost smooth in some spots while the rest looked fine.