Aluminum Shoes for the Performance Horse

Aluminum Shoes for the Performance Horse

There is a large debate among animal rights experts over the correct way in which to treat and handle animals. Some believe that the best way to treat horses is through natural means; that is to say without the use of shoes of any type of material. Such debates are subjective and thus very difficult to prove objectively one way or another. Among other topics which are subject to debate and subsequent discussion is whether or not the material that is used in the creation of a horse shoe has any effect on whether that horse shoe is helpful to the animal on which the shoe is attached. It has been ascertained that the first horse shoes were designed to improve the longevity of a horse's ability to work and to increase the individual animal's performance in any field in which the animal is utilized. Horse shoes have been made of strong metals since their inception; primarily they are made out of iron, however other materials have also been used in the creation of horse shoes. Race horses have been shoed with horse shoes made of aluminum for some time, as this metal is extremely lightweight, malleable, and also durable. Aluminum thus allows for speedier running by the animals. The question then becomes whether or not aluminum horse shoes would prove a viable replacement for traditional steel horse shoes in other avenues than just horseracing. It is also imperative to take into consideration the fact that not all horses are physiologically similar and this may have an important impact on the way in which certain materials impact the particular breed of horse. Above all things, researchers have come to the conclusion that under most circumstances, horse shoes made out of aluminum are superior to those made from steel.

According to researchers, the most important thing to consider when determining the proper material to use on any animal is the way the animal will respond to that substance. The key is to ensure that the animal is in no way harmed or distressed by the material to be used. For each individual task to which a horse is asked to perform, the design of the shoe should be balanced in a certain way (Balch 1997). If the wrong material is used for a particular purpose, then the horse is in danger of serious injury. Logically, if an improper material is used on an animal, then the result will be that the animal may be more injured than had no artificial means been applied at all. This is why the debate over the proper material to be used in horse shoes has become of such importance. With an increase in technology and the popularization of groups such as PeTA which vocalize the potential dangers that face animals and make the finding of proper materials of paramount importance, there has been a higher amount of pressure on researchers and animal scientists to determine which materials would best serve horses and other animals as well.

Researcher W. Koepsich (1996) was able to trace the use of the aluminum horse shoe back through the decades and determined that it first gained widespread attention thanks to the propensity for its usage in national horse shows. In such venues, horse owners wanted their animals to appear to their best ability which included improvement of their gates so that the horses seemed elegant and light-footed. Under such circumstances, it was found that aluminum was a more suitable substance for horse shoes than steel. The first breed of horse to become widely associated with aluminum horseshoes, per Koepsich's investigation, was the Quarter Horse in the 1970s, which is what led Koepsich to his furthered research. In his experimentation with the Quarter horses, Koepsich found that: "Compared to steel, aluminum is soft to a horse's foot and so does not transmit as much sting to a horse's feet and legs -- a very important consideration for a show horse" (1996). It is logical that with a softer material, the actual process of stepping would be softer and thus far less damaging to the animal over a longer period of time.

Some horses have unfortunate and deteriorative illnesses which can be exacerbated by poor horse shoes. One such condition, popularly known as navicular disease, which is a painful and degenerative condition which affects both a horse's hooves and its feet, is considered to be both highly painful and detrimental to the animal's overall health. For this condition, animal orthopedic experts have suggested specialized footwear using aluminum horse shoes which provides both support and balance for animals during their recovery period from the disease (Crisan 2009). Navicular disease has been the subject of debate in and of itself because animal scientists are as yet unsure of the direct cause of the condition. Some researchers have claimed that navicular disease can be directly linked to vibration. Such assertions have been supported by a large number of animal science researchers, including Dr. J. Rooney. The other hypothesis is that navicular disease is a vascular condition, which is effected by the veins in the horse (Rooney 1998,-page 1). Both of these hypothesis indicate a link between the horse's legs, and thus their hooves, and the likelihood of becoming afflicted with the disease. Whatever the cause of the condition may be, and there is no concrete evidence as yet which is the true cause, there has been definitive research to indicate that the material of horseshoes has a concrete effect on the continued deterioration or the betterment of the horse that has been diagnosed with the condition.

It has also been proved that other conditions that can damage a horse and deter its quality of life are affected by the hooves and legs of the animal. Thus, the horse can be treated or at least aided by the use of a properly designed horse shoe. According to Gore (2012), "In some rare occasions, the horse shoe can be used to help a cracked hoof to aid in healing and support. Horse shoes can be used for gait management or to improve other movements of the horse" (page 1). Whether using aluminum or steel horse shoes, what most researchers do agree to is that the usage of some type of metallic shoe is far better than not using any material on the horse's hoof.

There are many proven reasons why aluminum horse shoes can be superior to steel for certain situations. Research was conducted by Huguet and Duberstein (2012) wherein the investigators looked into a direct comparison between how horses' knees react when the horses are shoes with both steel and aluminum shoes. The researchers were able to determine that in cases where the horses were shoed with aluminum, the body showed that there was a larger carpal angle and an evident relieving of tension observed. This suggests that there are many potentially different performance enhancements which can be achieved with the replacement of aluminum shoes rather than steel ones.