HOME PAGE (Click here) The following article was written by John Kaufman. John and Roxanne Kaufman race, train, breed, and sell barrel horses from their farm, Timberbrook Ranch, in Madison Ohio. Their Email address and a link to their web site can found at the bottom of this page. Read and enjoy! Proper shoeing and hoof care for the Barrel Horse 1. Common Types of Shoes - There are several common types of shoes that barrel racers use on their horses. Each has it's own advantages and disadvantages. Rim Shoe - A "Rim Shoe" is a shoe that has a groove that follows the entire length and width of the shoe, creating ridges along the outside and inside edges of the shoe. In what is commonly called a rim shoe the front and rear ridges are of equal height. This gives the horse a balanced feel and keeps the horse's foot level through his gait. A rim shoe is designed to have the groove fill with dirt and give the horse traction and keep him from slipping too much when stopping and turning. A rim shoe will also help a horse dig in when leaving a turn and help him accelerate quickly. Barrel Shoe - A barrel racing shoe is a rim shoe with the front or "outside" ridge higher than the inside ridge. The groove still fills with dirt, but the difference is that this type of shoe has more cup to it and will give the horse more traction when leaving a turn. Polo shoes - A polo shoe is a rim shoe that has the inside rim higher than the outside rim. This also gives more traction than a regular rim shoe but helps the horses hoof "break over" more quickly. Many people believe that this added break over will make it easier for their horse to run faster. Aluminum Racing Shoes - Aluminum racing shoes, or "Racing Plates" as they are sometimes called, are very similar to a barrel plate, and sometimes even have a hard tip that protrudes toward the ground at the toe for extra traction. People commonly use aluminum shoes on barrel horses for the reduction of weight in hopes that the horse will run faster with lighter feet. I personally don't like them for barrel racing because they get twisted on the horse's hoof, and will get thrown more easily than a steel shoe. Pleasure Plates - These are slightly wider shoes than a common rim shoe, and will tend to have no groove at all, or my personal preference is a pleasure shoe that has only a groove for the nail holes. This type of shoe has less traction than a rim shoe, allowing for some slip when a horse stops. However, the horse can still get traction leaving a turn with this type of shoe. I only use these on the back feet of a barrel horse. Reigning Plates - Reigning plates are wide plates (up to 1" wide) with no grooves, usually used only on the rear feet of a reigning horse, or in the early stages of training a barrel horse to allow for the least amount of traction possible and encouraging a horse to bring his rear end underneath him for a stop. You would never want to run a barrel horse in a reigning shoe since he will probably not be able to hold the ground and would likely fall. 2. Performance related issues - Which kind of shoe is best for me? The kind of shoes you use on your barrel horse depends on several factors. The ground you typically run on, the style of your riding, the size and weight of your horse, and your own personal preference. However, I have found that for most situations the combination of a standard Rim Shoe on the front and Pleasure Plates on the back works well in the largest variety of conditions. This is the standard way that I shoe my horses when I am showing and training them. I chose this combination because the rim shoe has the most balance and consistent performance for the life of the shoe when compared with polo and barrel shoes. Polo and barrel shoes tend to wear down over the course of a shoeing, and perform quite differently when they are old than when they are new. The only time I use a Polo shoe on a horse is if I have a horse that has a naturally long toe that cannot be corrected. In that case I'll use a polo shoe in order to help him break over and gain a more natural stride. A lot of people use a rim shoe on the back feet of a barrel horse as well. I personally don't believe in doing this as it leads to hock, stifle, and back problems for the horse. A thousand pound horse going into a turn at 35 miles an hour needs some give when being asked to put on the breaks. I have found that a pleasure plate such as a "Saddle Lights" or "Diamond Special" works well because it allows the horse to slide enough to keep his back end underneath him while giving him plenty of traction. The main reason I have found for changing from the above formula is based upon the type of ground you will be running on. The combination of Rim on the front, and Pleasure shoes on the rear, works well on a variety of conditions. It works well on hard ground, deep ground, muddy ground, and sticky ground. However if you are going to be running somewhere where you know it's going to be slippery, or extremely deep or sandy, you may want to use rim shoes on all four feet. In deep, sandy ground, the ground itself will provide you with the slip you need for your horse, and the traction you gain with rim shoes may improve your time. Also if you are running in typically slippery ground, the type where horses commonly fall down in their turns, you should shoe for maximum traction, or if possible, don't show and take a chance on injuring your horse. The quarter horse congress in the early 90's as well as Ft. Smith Arkansas, were two places where we typically used rim shoes on all four and also added Ice nails for added traction. 3. Health related issues As I mentioned earlier, having too much traction for the ground you are running on tends to cause long and short term health problems for a barrel horse. An improperly shod horse will have problems with sore hocks, stifles, sore backs, stiff necks, and even navicular. If your horse falls down, he can injure himself or his rider, however, if he has too much traction for the ground, he will either get sore hocks, or begin stopping on his front end, causing problems in his front legs and his neck, as well as causing you to lose races. A horse that uses his front end in a turn also has a higher chance of falling because he is not in the proper balance for a tight turn at a high speed. 4. Special Requirements - Clips and Trailers Front Clips - If I have a horse that has trouble holding shoes, or I am going to a show that I can't afford to lose shoes, I'll add clips to my horses. Front clips should be "Quarter Clips" or about 25% of the way from the center of the front of the hoof to the back. This allows for some expansion of the hoof during performance, while making the shoe more secure on the hoof. "Side Clips" or clips directly on the sides of the hoof will not protect the shoe from coming off, add extra stress to the hoof by keeping it from expanding and contracting, and will tear the hoof up worse if the shoe does come off. Rear Clips - I like to have toe clips on the back of my competition horses. A toe clip is a clip that is a single clip directly on the toe. This keeps the shoe from sliding back during stopping and relieves some of the stress on the nail holes. It also allows the hoof to expand more than Quarter or Side clips. Trailers - If you are shoeing your horse properly and he seems to need a little extra traction in deep ground, or he just doesn't keep his back end in the turn enough your can have your farrier add what is called a "Trailer". A trailer is added to a rear shoe by heating it, and bending the trailing outside rear corner of the shoe to the outside at around a 45-degree angle. Your farrier will most likely know what you mean if you ask him about doing this. A trailer works by causing extra friction and holds the back foot in the ground for a little extra time and can give the horse a little more balance in a turn. You should ask your trainer and your farrier before you have a trailer added to your horse's shoes. If they are used improperly, they can add stress to your horse's hocks, causing injury. 5. Proper Angles for Barrel Racing and Common Corrective Techniques. One of the most important things to think about when shoeing a barrel horse is the angles and length of the feet. As a horse owner, you should educate yourself as much as possible about proper shoeing and how a well-shod horse should look. If a horse has been shod improperly, the feet are not uniform, one toe is longer than the other, or anything else that is not in balance, it can lead to lameness, serious injury or even death to your horse. It is not uncommon to find a high quality, expensive horse that has become lame, or just won't perform up to his abilities due to improper shoeing. Angles - An average barrel horse should have his front feet at approximately 55-56 degree angle. If your horse's build won't support that angle, it can vary slightly, however, you don't want higher than 59 degrees, or lower than 53 degrees in the front. Too high of an angle will create stress related problems in the horse's joints, and too low of an angle will cause navicular, as well as soft tissue injuries. In the rear I like to have a horse between 53-55 degrees, and a short toe length. The lower angle in the back allows the horse to sit down for a turn, but you also have to make sure that his hoof can naturally support your chosen angle. Hoof Length - You horse should also have a short hoof. If your farrier takes too much hoof off, your horse's hoof will weaken, however if it is too long, he will not be able to move naturally. Get a hoof gauge at your local tack store, and keep a log of your horses angles and lengths. That way you will see how he performs after each shoeing and you will know whether your farrier is doing a consistent job each time. Rolled Toes - If you have a horse that has a physical problem in his hoof, such as the early stages of navicular, or you have a horse that has a naturally low hoof angle and a long toe in the front, you may want to ask your farrier about "Rolling his Toes" This consists of making a shoes that aren't flat, but instead have a break at the toe, that allows the horse's hoof to break over more quickly and relieves some of the stress from the soft tissues of the leg. A similar effect can be achieved by setting a flat shoe back about a quarter inch from the front of the hoof and otherwise shoeing him normally. This will effectively allow the horse to break over more easily, keep traction, and shorten the toe, without shortening his stride. Squared Toes - If you have a horse that overreaches, and you can't shorten his toes in the back, or raise his angle you can have his toes "Squared". This consists of the farrier "Squaring Off" the round part of the front of the shoe. This makes the back hoof break over more quickly, and travel straighter. It will shorten the horse's stride slightly, but may solve your problem if he is overreaching. Personal Information John Kaufman and Roxanne Kaufman race, train, breed, and sell barrel horses from their farm Timberbrook Ranch in Madison Ohio. Their website is http://TBranch.com. John has been racing barrel horses for over 15 years and has ridden many great horses such horses as "The Midnight Missle" 1990 West Texas Futurity Champion, Fastest Qualifier at Ft Smith, AQHA Superior Barrel horse, top 10 AQHA point earner 1991, 2 time AQHA world show qualifier, Multiple Congress Places including Budweiser Sweepstakes. John works as an accountant as well as building several Internet businesses, such as www.BarrelHorses.net - Barrel racing Classifieds and www.HorseWanted.com - Horse Classifieds, and www.TBhost.com - a well-known Web Site Hosting company. Roxanne works full time running the credit department for the largest farm co-op in Northeast Ohio. With all of these personal commitments it is very difficult to stay on the road and campaign horses at the pro level so John and Roxanne have concentrated on training and selling quality horses since getting married in 1997. John also finds time to do occasional clinics such as at HorseFest at the Lake Farm Park, in Lake County Ohio. Horses that John has trained and sold have gone as far west as Arizona, and as far east as Italy. John and Roxanne can be reached at: e-mail: jpk@tbhost.com Website: http://www.TBranch.com Telephone: 440-428-4967