Aluminum Shoes
The advantages of aluminum horse shoes
- Aluminum horseshoes are much lighter than steel shoes, and because the horse doesn't use as much energy pulling his feet around, he moves better, which is beneficial for the show ring.
- Less hoof damage occurs with aluminum shoes because of the lighter weight. The concussion of moving causes less vibrations than with a heavier shoe, and vibrations are among the causes of hoof damage from shoes.
- The horse's hooves are walking on a softer surface than with steel shoes, since aluminum dissipates some of the concussion of movement.
- Due to the lightness of the shoe, a farrier can add more flotation to the shoe, which is the measurement of the weight a shoe supports.
- The way aluminum wears allows the breakover of your horse's foot (the speed at which the horse's foot lands and pushes off of the ground) to remain more even during the time between shoeings. The breakover gets slower as your horse's foot grows longer, but the wear of aluminum speeds up the break-over.
Lightness
Hoof damage
Concussion
Flotation
Wear