I’m trying something new to give my guy’s hooves a break from steel shoes. He throws one every 3 to 4 weeks on average. The idea is to let the hoof and the numerous nail holes grow out. These things are really expensive so I’m hoping they’re worth it. How well do the aluminum shoes will hold up? I like the Kevlar wrap. What’s your experiences with them? How well do they hold up? Have you jumped in them? Do they stay on in wet conditions?
I don’t know about the shoes, but are you able to just go barefoot for awhile? I keep shoes on my horses for the “season” and pull them in late October and go barefoot until May. I do it specifically for the reasons you mentioned; hoof quality and growing out nail holes. My farrier says it makes a world of difference in their hoof quality. Of course, it really does depend on what you’re doing. I’m able to ride in good footing and I’m not competing during the winter.
I can’t put him out barefoot for a number of reasons unfortunately. I really wish I could. Plus everywhere we ride it’s rocky and he’d come out bruised up. I was hoping to have a new arena by now but things changed with no idea on a timeline unfortunately.
I 'be usd them on 2 horses, generally in late summer when the wet.dry cycl and washing/riding has left me with no hoof wall to nail to. Both horses have used them for 1-2 shoeing cycles, until the hoof grew out enough to hold regular shoes. I did a * and. The training 3 day in them, so they were tapped and drilled. Only issues is that they do tend to pull off some hoof wall when they are taken off ( esp be/c it wasn’t good hoof wal to begin with). they hold up well, but aren’t cheap
I used them. My horse LOVED them. He had cracked track feet and tender soles. The lift of the shoe helped him a lot. We’ve done them in late summer for 2 years with great success. Then go back to normal shoes. He keeps them longer than a nail on. Usually about 8 weeks.
I think that they absolutely have their place. I happened to be in and out of New Bolton alot when Rob Sigafoos was still there, and they were putting the final touches on these to mass market them.
It’s really all about who applies them. If they shift, as they are applied, you can unintentionally get a fit that is not great- like medial or lateral toes points, if they shift in or out, while the adhesive is curing. I saw it happen even with their inventor applying them.
That said, I love them for horses who have laminitic issues, but need shoes. They do not need the added insult of having nails banged into their sore feet. Also, great for horses whose feet need a break, like yours. However, I would take a serious look at how to help him to grow more, and better, quality hoof through nutrition, as well.
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Our pony foundered about ten years ago when the BM at a lovely boarding barn inexplicably turned her out on lush green grass for four hours, directly from a month of dry lot. Without telling me.
It was terrible, but my vet worked with a wonderful farrier who put Sigafoos on her and they really helped give her the support she needed without any concussion on her feet during the application.
They stayed on really well and her hoof wall was ok when they were removed.
I think they definitely have a place in the market but at the time, they were quite expensive.
I’ve never used Sigafroos, but I have my chronic shoe-puller in PolyFlex shoes for the same reason–his feet needed time to recover from the constant shoe-pulling. His front feet were disintegrating. The shoes are not metal–they’re like a hard plastic/rubber/??? material and are glued on. They don’t have a wrap that comes around the foot–it’s just the shoe and the adhesive. My horse lives out 24/7 in snow, mud, dry conditions, you name it he’s in it. He has zero issues with the shoes or the glue–both are extremely durable. They make shoes with stud holes pre drilled in them as well. They also have a small toe grab (it’s smooth, not sharp or big.)
They can also build up heel/foot where’s missing, which is really nice. I don’t have an issue with traction most of the time. He will slip a little bit in tall wet grass on hacks, but I’ve XC schooled him with these shoes and no studs, he did great. I’ve evented him once since he got them put on, and he had no traction issues there either (at Loch Moy, so plenty of hills to go up and down.) I have these shoes on the front, barefoot behind (his hind feet are awesome.)
They’re quite pricey as well, cost will vary depending on where you live. I know the Rood & Riddle farrier squad charges about $1000 per shoeing for all four feet. Where I live it’s a good bit less than that, but it’s still expensive. Another downside is they cannot be reused–they’re a 1x use product. They will need to be redone every 6 weeks or so. Sometimes you can go a little longer, but the glue may start to degrade after that point. I’ve never experienced this, it’s just what I’ve been told. This is only a downside because the shoes are expensive. Other than cost, I haven’t seen any negatives. His feet are bigger and healthier than ever, and he’s more comfortable.
If money was no object, I’d recommend these shoes to anyone and everyone. They’re worth the $ to me because there’s no more worrying about him losing shoes and destroying his feet. It got to the point where he was losing 2-3 per week. Some people use these shoes for 1-2 cycles and then go back to steel, which my farrier said I could do, but I said no. The peace of mind is worth every penny to me.
Just another option to consider! There’s a half hour tutorial on YouTube about how they’re applied too.
Here’s the website: http://soundhorse.com/ Obviously, there are also dealers, but this is from the folks who invented the shoes.
The costs aren’t that high- and are for a PAIR of shoes. The real cost is in the application, and, as stated, it has to be done just right or you’ve got a big fat mess.
https://www.broadlinefarriersolutions.com
My farrier has used these on a couple of horses that had poor hoof quality and needed a glue on shoe. They are steel shoes that can be drilled and tapped if needed.
A friend who fox hunts has used these on some of the hunt horses who were having issues with shoes getting sucked off in the mud. She has been very happy with them.
I second the PolyFlex shoes. They’re the only glue-on shoes on the market that flex with the hoof rather than constrict them. You can therefore leave them on for much longer than other glue-ons. My farrier in NJ did them for $200 (working student discount), and my farrier here in Ohio charges $280. They stay on amazingly well, but they are tedious to apply. it takes 2 to 2 1/2 hours to shoe my guy with Polyflex in front and steel behind. The farrier will also need tools like a mini blowtorch, buffer, dremmel, copper sulfate and a hoof boot to keep the clean, dry foot in before he applies the shoe.
Despite the trouble, they have been a lifesaver for my gelding. He’s very sensitive about nail placement and has a tendency to pull shoes and step on the clips.
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We had a thoroughbred who had very thin soles and constantly pulled shoes. With a great farrier and sigafoos shoes he was able to stay sound and compete at the Advanced level. Since you are in Pennsylvania, I highly recommend using Todd Meister http://www.toddmeister.com/index.html
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Finnegan has had on two types of glue on shoes. Neither were Sigafoo. The first ones he had on were just aluminum that were glued on with no cuff. Eventually we had to go one cycle with a glue on with a cuff. Front hooves only. Yes there were expensive but his hooves look much better. The farrier wanted to get as much healthy foot as possible so we were able to go about 9 almost 10 weeks for the front hooves. He replaced the hinds sooner than that since they were nailed on.
I have a white and grey pinto. He gets hosed quite a bit, I evented and paperchased with him, he gets lots of turn-out and they did not come off.
Only drawback is I don’t have snow rim pads this year where in the past I have used them.
OTTB had a couple of cycles of glue on front shoes with just the aluminum and no cuffs. They stayed on great too. I have a wonderful farrier.
My mare is also a chronic shoe puller, especially in the summer. She has been in and out of Sigafoos depending on how much wall is available. She has an interesting ability to separate the shoe from the cuff. On the upside, at least it doesn’t tear up her foot when she pulls the shoe part off, and the remaining cuff gives some protection until the shoe can be replaced. On the downside, it’s an expensive shoe habit. I’m told she’s a freak and that normal horses don’t pull these, so YMprobablyV.
Right now she’s out of work, so we gave up and she’s going barefoot in the field.
I used them for a while - they usually last about 8 weeks. They really helped my horses foot improve but something they’re hard to get the horses back into steal.
What issues did you have?
I was chatting with a farrier last week, and he said it would cost $800-1000 for four of these. My interest went waaaaay down after that.
I decided to put my guy in these. It was $125 per shoe for the Elite series. I wasn’t happy at the cost but at the same time I’m hoping it does his feet good.
