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Q: I am from Bogota, Colombia, in
South America. I went to Cornell University in 1993. Since then I am working
mostly with Paso Fino horses, but now I am attending to a group of draft horses.
One of my biggest problems is that they work every day in the streets so the
metal shoes don't work very well.
I will appreciate it if you can help me with some information about other types
of shoes.
A: There is a company here in
the United States, called Centaur Forge, Ltd. Their address is 117 North Spring
Street, PO Box 340, Burlington, WI 53105-0343. Telephone number 1-414-763-9175.
Their Fax number is 1-414-763-8350. Toll free number for orders only
1-800-666-9175.
This company sells steel core, rubber/urethane shoes, with toe clips and
pre-punched nail holes. They are called Syverson, formerly known as Chambers.
The cost is approximately $55 for a pair. These are the same shoes worn by the
draft horses at Disneyland, which is an amusement in California and Florida,
USA. These horses are constantly worked on street pavement. The shoes are shock
absorbing and long wearing with excellent traction. I highly recommend them for
any large horse that spends its days on the streets.
Centaur also sells a shoe shaper machine for around $100, which makes shaping
quick and easy without damaging the material of the shoe. Without it the shoes
are next to impossible to shape. Anyone using these shoes should have this
machine.
There are other brands of rubber shoes sold. These are the shoes I recommend.
The only other alternative would be to shoe the horses with steel shoes, using
horseshoe borium to coat the shoes on the ground surface. Borium makes the shoes
grab and hold the street very well, BUT continued use of borium will cause
injury to the horse's legs and will cause damage to the streets.
Good luck in your endeavor. Por favor, let me know what success you have with
this problem.
Geronimo Bayard
The American Blacksmith
Oakland, Oregon
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