Ground Control Horse Shoes

Hi there! I have just read a little bit about this shoes. Are these a new thing? My farrier says he's not to keen on them. He thinks they sit too tall and would make the horse trip. I already have a trippy horse, so I don't want to do anything that would make it worse. Another comment I heard was that they make the horse's legs hurt. Can you explain the concept and give me your opinion of these types of shoes. I have Paso Finos. Thank you!

Hi. I use them. There are plusses, and there are negatives. The plusses are that they are flexible so the horse's hooves tend to have more growth than they would in a steel shoe. If your horse has otherwise good hooves but you'd like a little more protection from rocks and such, this would be a good solution for you. However, if your horse doesn't have good hooves, being that these shoes flex, they may not hold nails well. The only thing I don't like about them is that they are hard to clean under. I use a skinny flathead screwdriver instead of a traditional hoofpick. The shoes only get nailed in the front half, so the back half can be flexed back. It's hard plastic, but it IS flexible. You have to hold the edge up with your thumb and dig around under there. That is also the reason why some farriers don't like them. People can be lazy and if you don't take the time to clean under them properly, bacteria builds up. It takes a minute longer to clean them than if you had steel shoes on but it just takes a little practice to get quick at it. Another plus though is that you often can re-use them. If you don't ride on pavement alot, they won't wear down as fast and can be used up to 3 shoeings.

I hate to say this, but ~ I have never heard of ground control horse shoes so I really cannot comment on them. It has peaked my interest and I am going to look into them to see what they are about. As far as an educated opinion, unfortunately this one has me at a loss. It looks like one of the other viewers has had experience with them though!

Don

Thanks, Don! I'd be interested in what you find too!

I have used the ground control shoes on several different horses. I have found that on a horse that is flat soled and kept in dry pastures they are ok. I had a client at a boarding facility that required the horses to come thru a muddy area to get from the barn to the pasture. At that particular barn we had to remove the shoes from both horses because the horses were sliding down. The shoe also requires a larger nail than a conventional steel shoe, so if your horse has thin walls I wouldnt suggest using this shoe. I personally am not a huge synthetic shoe fan for horses that are being used, I do use them on lameness cases and horses on stall rest. I think you would do better with a steel shoe and a plastic pad for protection. That way you get shock absorption, less flex, and less added toe lenght than the Ground Control product.

Eric