I started a campaign against Scotch Bottom Shoes on show hitch horses, especially among Percherons, last year by writing an Open Letter to the Board of Directors of the Percheron Horse Association, followed by pertinent articles in two magazines. I also criticized the use of overchecks on horses, that force them to hold their heads in unnaturally high positions. I intend to do more , but I need support. Having had and worked with my own horses for over 55 years I may not be an expert, but I have some pretty clear understanding what is good for horses and what is not.
Welcome to COTH!
What - if any - response did you get to your letter?
I am a newcomer to Draft hitches, as a spectator mainly.
I drive a mini, but several of my Driving Club members drive Draft breeds: Percherons, Halflingers, Freisians & Draft crosses.
Not a single one is shod with that type of shoe.
I do agree the Scotched shoes have no place (aside from fashion) on show teams.
I understand historically the shoes were designed for horses doing heavy pulling on uneven ground & intended to give them better purchase.
But to see the show teams wearing the exaggerated flares just makes no sense.
At the least, I would hope the shoes are pulled when show season is done.
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Overchecks were not intended to hold the head artificially high but just around normal carriage as the idea is to keep the horse from getting its head down to its knees…and if you ever had a runaway because a line flipped around a shaft, you KNOW why they were/are used.
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Thank you for the welcome, Schoolmaster ( What a coincidence- I was an educator in Germany and the USA for 30 years!) To answer your question, I got into a little exchange of views with the new president of the Percheron Horse Association, and I was assured I would be able to express my thoughts in the next issue of the Percheron News. My goal is to end the practice of these exaggerated flares, that cause harm to the horses’ legs, and which can , like Mike Wildenstein wrote, even cripple the horses. That the horses are not comfortable with these shoes is evidenced not only by them lying down in their box-stalls in strange environments, like at shows, but also when they try to change the angle of the foot by digging holes into the bedding. The hocks are also affected.
I am not against Scotch Bottom shoes as such, they had and have their place, for example with Clydesdales, whose hooves are broader to start with, but I am against them when they turn into instruments of abuse. My son, who has been a farrier for over twenty years has joined in the effort as well to inform people about the negative effects of that kind of shoeing, if exaggerated
. The overchecks, which are too short, also can cause back problems. I am aware of their original purpose, especially for multiple hitches, but then the teamster has the obligation to observe his horses and keep his lines appropriately in hand, which by the way, is much easier to do with the Achenbach grip than with holding the two hands far apart!
In short, fads, like high knee action in horses, that weren’t bred for that, just for show, need to be abandoned in my view, for saner approaches. By the way, long flat strides may not be as flashy, but actually are producing faster locomotion in horses.
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Are you related to Ben K ?
Are you looking for a conversation or a soapbox? I doubt many (any?) here disagree with your statement, so the pontificating is a bit odd. Preaching to the choir and all that.
Schoolmaster is a title, not a username. Here is an explanation of these.
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I don’t wish to put words in Klaus’ mouth. However, knowing him from other forums and publications I believe he’s looking for a conversation. And testing the waters looking for like-minded folks. While I can think of few others in the US more knowledgable about working and driving horses than Klaus; I can’t think of anyone more disinclined to go throwing that knowledge around for the sake of hearing himself talk.
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@Wanderosa Thanks for the added info on the new member.
I hope he can make the same inroad as those who opposed soring for the Big Lick TWH.
I have asked - out of a genuine interest - Draft drivers why the shoes were used.
I was told to exaggerate the motion.
At which time I folded my tent & backed away, not wanting to engage in a debate I had few facts on, just a feeling that any artificial aid is of very limited use in changing what a horse is born with.
Agree with @sk_pacer that a correctly used overcheck is not harmful.
My Hackney-driving friends are required to show using them, but they are adjusted so the natural head carriage is not affected.
ETA: anyone in doubt can Google OP & see he speaks from a base of knowledge.
2Dogsfarm waves to Karbaumer Farm, my not-so-distant neighbors :encouragement:
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Simkie, thank you for the information about the titles.
And Wanderosa, thank you for the kind words.
As I stated, I am looking for support in my quest to push back against Scotch Bottom shoes where they are doing harm to the horse. I do not consider it “pontificating” when I explain my rationale for that.
What needs to be done is that judges do not reward such practices and that organizations that conduct the shows have clear guidelines which prevent harm to the animals we use. Now it seems that practices to artificially enhance the gait and posture are not only tolerated but even favored. Many newcomers to the world of draft horses may be misguided and then continue the abuse of horses not out of bad will, but while imitating others, do not have the knowledge. I know this will rattle some people’s cages, but then any progress in humane treatment of animals was initially met with resistance.
2DogsFarm, if we are not so distant neighbors, if you’d like, contact me at home!
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@Klaus Karbaumer 
Well, we are not next door neighbors.
I am in NW IN.
Bit if I ever get to MO, I will try to look you up.
I have friends in Amish country here - Shipshewana, Angola, Orland - & have learned a little about farming with horses through them.
I always enjoy seeing the working hitches (usually Belgians) standing by themselves in the fields when the farmer takes a break.
They know to rest themselves until it’s time to go back to work!
My mini was broke to drive by a young Amishman.
He came back to me traffic-safe & thanks to the 5 young boys who helped their Dad train him, friendly with kids & people.
In my very, very limited involvement in the past few years with the draft world, I’ve observed a real split between the ‘hitch’ and ‘farm’ groups. It is most obvious in the breeders, with some wanting taller, leggier, more extreme action and others favoring the heavier working type. The hitch competitors tend to like the Scotch Bottom shoes. The working drafts tend to be shod normally. However, it is made more complicated by the increased use of drafts in cross breeding, which favors the leggier type, especially in the Shires and Clydes, but does not support the Scotch Bottom shoeing.
The most extreme example is the difference between what is now the Belgian Brabant and the American Belgian. Before WWII, those were the same breed. It is the same split that you see in dog breeds, working dogs and show dogs are often very different animals.
Overchecks…they have their place, properly adjusted, as a safety gear. So if I were you, I’d focus on the shoeing alone and not go after the overchecks as well.
There is an economic factor in favor of getting rid of Scotch Bottoms, those things are Expensive!
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2DogsFarm
we are in NW MO. I have been to NE Indiana, seen the Amish counties there.
Not sure if Draft Judges are accredited thru training programs, continued education in the Breeds or just people called upon to judge at local shows and Fairs. Well known breeders and drivers themselves. They are VERY CONSERVATIVE in their thinking, so any changing of what appears in the ring to win, is going to be an uphill fight. Retraining Judges’ thinking, going for the younger, forward thinking folks who may be more open to newer ideas regarding shoes, is what needs to happen.
My friend had a very nice Belgian gelding she took to Draft shows. She placed, but never first. He was well prepared, nice knee action, plain shoes, braided, clean, same Meadowbrook cart, good harness, like everyone else. She looked nice in attractive jacket, laprobe, had a plain hat, drove well. Finally she asked a Judge what she needed to do to win? He told her she would never get a first unless the horse wore Scotch-bottom shoes, otherwise she was a good competitor! She heard the same from a second Judge, so she quit doing Draft shows and competed in driving shows, where she did very well!
Somehow over the years the Clydesdale shoes have turned into the “traditional” shoe for ALL draft horses! You don’t leave home to show unless your non-Clyde horses are wearing Scotch-bottom shoes. As the OP said, those shoes look pretty awful, do nothing to help horse move well, not actually even fitted to the hoof. Bondo fillers are common under hoof polish. Doesn’t matter how bad they look, you about can’t win, if not shod with Scotch-bottoms, on all Draft breeds.
To change things, the OP needs to change the thinking of the Judges who pick the winning hitches in the ring. Use new judging criteria for classes. Winning horses SELL. Maybe some educational articles in Breed or Club magazines and newsletters about useful shoeing, written by Farriers. Damage articles caused by this improper shoeing, heavy shoe weight, on bones, soft tissues, while horse is working, written by Vets. All Drafts are not shod this way in the UK, with the Guild trained horseshoers. Things presented clearly to make Breed members think, compare, be more informed than before.
This group of horse owners on the Chronicle are mostly light horse users. Not many into strictly Draft horses. So I do not know how much support you will gather here, from the members.
This statement was a red flag to me.
And this is not me saying that these shoes are or are not fine, it is just me saying that this statement to me makes you lose some credibility.
Lots of horses lay down to nap in strange places. It has nothing to do with shoes that hurt their feet, and everything to do with them wanting to sleep and knowing they are comfy and safe to do it.
I would also not make the leap that every horse that paws (digging holes in the bedding) is doing so because they are trying to change the angle of their foot.
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I hope your campaign gains traction, no pun intended! I abhore the excessive flaring of the show foot and can’t believe any horse lover would risk the damage to the legs that this could cause. Even basic understanding of how a healthy hoof works would tell you this practice is cruel and damaging.
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trubandloki, I agree, not every horse that lies down in a strange environment or paws a hole in the bedding feels discomfort resulting from Scotch Bottom shoes, but those that do are enough reason for me to try and educate horse lovers about it. And that I hope will spur some action!
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I think you should come up with a better example of something to “prove” your point.
Most knowledge horse people are going to write you off as nothing but an extremist if you insist horses napping and pawing means they are always in pain.
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Nearly everyone who takes horses to overnight shows can attest to the fact that they lie down right in the manure spots at night, with better aim than the most skilled B-52 bomber pilots 
Barefoot or shod. Full time show horses end up in strange stalls all the time.
Horses paw in their stalls for reasons that are not always due to discomfort.
That said - I have seen some show drafts whose feet are actually not all that bad, but are made to look horrible (for me), due to the shoes and the epoxy between shoe and foot. Take the shoe and all the gunk off, and the feet are not terrible. I have also seen the feet which truly are trimmed to be very wide and splat and flared.
I can’t begin to tell you which is more common, only that I have seen both.
I would make sure to be very, very objective in what is going on, not using any sort of words or sentences that can be remotely inferred to mean all the overchecks are too tight, or that all Scotch Bottom-wearing horses are uncomfortable because they paw bedding or lie down in strange stalls.
I originally subscribed to this thread when you started it because to be honest, I wrote you off as a fringe “lunatic” because of those 2 statements, and I wanted to see where things went. It seems you have quite extensive experience in this arena, which should be used to give you credibility. And a gigantic part of that is making sure you don’t say anything that gets you written off by those who know enough about the environment to see red flags, but not enough about you to know what you actually mean. Does that make sense?
Extremists (not saying you actually are) often make the middle ground people run the other way and tune you out, even if you do have real value to offer. Get a lot more objective in your statements, and that will get a lot more traction 
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JB, I do not think that anyone who read my statements can say that I take extreme positions. I just mentioned some observations, but tried not to make them absolute. Yet I am rather certain, about the fact, that too many show hitch horses are neither shod in an animal friendly way, and that a good many( I never said all) over checks are too tight.
It does make sense what you write, that generalizations may be misconstrued and used as an excuse by those who do not want to change the status quo. All I ask is that people take a closer look at what is going on in those shows and whenever possible plead for changes. It also doesn’t do the horse world any good, if changes are forced from outside organizations or law makers.
Any information on these shoes and why they are a problem? My Google search didnt turn up much beyond a definition.
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