My theory and feelings on Polytrack

[Cajungator26]

[quote=kentuckyrosesinmay]

Originally Posted by Cunningham Racing

A) I am one who believes that horse shoes hurt horses and their health more than they help horses - so that isn't the best analogy to use with me because I agree..
QUOTE]

Ah, now we're talking sense. Yes, they make them prone to sore soles later on because going barefoot toughens their soles. Plus, you have to worry about farriers quicking your horse, loose shoes, shoes coming off (which can badly damage their hoof wall), and farriers doing a bad job that inevitably throws your horse off-balance possibly creating soundness issues.

Unfortunately, we ask so much out of performance horses that their soles literally can't handle the kind of pressure they're putting on them. This causes us to HAVE to use at least front shoes. I tried numerous times to go without shoes on our horses, but a few of them just couldn't handle the jumping without the front shoes at least. It's a tough call...

[kentuckyrosesinmay]

[quote=Cajungator26]

Originally Posted by kentuckyrosesinmay

Unfortunately, we ask so much out of performance horses that their soles literally can't handle the kind of pressure they're putting on them. This causes us to HAVE to use at least front shoes. I tried numerous times to go without shoes on our horses, but a few of them just couldn't handle the jumping without the front shoes at least. It's a tough call...

I added to my post above just to let you know. We usually take the shoes off the horses in the off season and put them back on when we start heavy training again. You almost have to use or do have to use them when you are training them, jumping them, and showing them. Riding horses is just hard on them period.

[Cajungator26]

[quote=kentuckyrosesinmay]

Originally Posted by Cajungator26

I added to my post above just to let you know. We usually take the shoes off the horses in the off season and put them back on when we start heavy training again. You almost have to use or do have to use them when you are training them, jumping them, and showing them. Riding horses is just hard on them period.

We did the same thing... it's tough in Florida though because technically there is no off season. LOL I'd want to take them off in the summer, but it rains a lot here and thrush runs rampant. We also see a lot of crumbling soles and hoof walls due to the moisture. Frustrating stuff...

[kentuckyrosesinmay]

[quote=Cajungator26]

Originally Posted by kentuckyrosesinmay

We did the same thing... it's tough in Florida though because technically there is no off season. LOL I'd want to take them off in the summer, but it rains a lot here and thrush runs rampant. We also see a lot of crumbling soles and hoof walls due to the moisture. Frustrating stuff...

Yeah, we don't normally show in the winter on the NC and VA circuits because in gets too cold (I hate cold weather!). We actually just went to our last show for the year last weekend, and will pick back up in March. We usually work with the babies, yearlings, and two-year-olds (well I don't anymore because of school) during the winter to prepare them for the spring. The weather usually holds up well enough for this. Plus, we have indoor riding space. I didn't think about horses feet being tough to handle in Florida. Huh, interesting. We don't have those kinds of problems up here unless it rains, and rains, and rains for days (which it does do sometimes).