Chris, taking your suggestion i started a thread, can you expound on your statement about the cost, both money and long term,i guess physical, associated with polymer and or metal flexible shoes. Thanks Ray
Ray I think that shoeing is relitvely cheap in the uk. margins get squeezed all the time here, so anything that means the owner has to pay more is a problem. Farriers end up not being able pass on costs. Plastic shoes are expensive in the UK i think that its the small market. I hope Chris wont mind me saying but I doubt theRE isnt much he cant achieve with nailing a mild steel shoe on. As I have travelled about the world I have seen many usages of horses that we dont have here, and a need to be shod in a way that just wouldnt be required in the UK Here are some barrel racers in the UK
Ray IMO the" flexion " in the shoe would have to be instantaneous otherwise a bent shoe would immediately affect the horses gait , and i cannot see these claims being possible
Not sure....but I think DuPont here in the USA looking into making a type of steel called "flex-steel" ....and the nano-technology available here in the near future. It has to do with making steel flex in buildings for in earthquake areas around the world. If it hasn't been done yet; it will be in the near future in the next 5 yrs.....and within a 10 yr period; I can see this in making of horseshoes with qualities unknown in today's market.
My favorite flexible shoe story comes from Myron McLane. He made a set of shoes from 1/2"x 1" copper for the horse that pulled the carriage for his daughter's wedding. The driver saw the horse step on a heel and bend it down. It bent back flat when he took a step. They pulled the shoes after the wedding. I got to see one of the shoes, nothing cooler than a big copper horseshoe.
Scott, from On Track Equine had some interesting high speed video at their IHCS booth, it showed both steel and aluminum shoes flexing and returning to "flat" repeatedly. What I found most remarkable was the flexing of these shoes occurs in the non weight bearing phase of the stride, not the impact or loading phase. The Razer cartoon kind of falls a little flat. The point of Razer shoes flexing is moot. I'm afraid to say it but it's "Same S***/ different day" with this " latest, greatest, revolutionize the industry, all the top riders are using it" item... At least some of our vendors, will attempt to use science to show the effects of their product. But not the Razer folks
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't most of the flex in a hoof, on flat ground, happen at the top of the hoof?
Bill, only during the load/stance phase. I'm puzzled as to how my nails stay tight after seeing all the gyrations the hoof and shoe go though during the flight phase. It's wild to watch
That's how I understood it, Brian. I am constantly amazed that some of the horses I shoe ever keep a shoe on, let alone all four.
Hi brian i am not a scientist but i can tell you from experience 7+ years with this Razershoes on standard breed racehorses that they work great. but the focus on the flexibility alone will not be true because the low profile and the thin outer rim is evey bit as important, it will allow the foot to sink in to the ground and distribute the weight on the sole frog and wall. and i have seen a great reduktion in heelbrusing corns and i have not had any qcracks. please let me know if you would like to try a set i be glad to send some
Conny, I don't have a problem with your shoe, just the marketing plan/video/ Chris' presentation at the IHCS I used alloy shoes on Stbs, mainly pacers, back in the 70s and early 80's. They were made by Joe Bruneau. His shoes were sharp (so sharp we didn't need borium), light weight and absolutely miserable to shape because you couldn't heat them without wrecking the heat treat. Joe had a good hind pattern that would nail up on most but his front pattern was awful in any of the larger sizes; especially on really round feet. I have nailed up nearly every imaginable shoe, steel, alum, titanium, plastic and even made shoes using Vettec superfast, on these barrel horses. So, it's no surprise, the girls would give these Razers a go; but remember they will also drop them just as fast, on move on to the next "secret weapon". Wish you the best of luck.
I just rcd a newsletter from the folks at No Vibe Horseshoes, the gist of it is to inform us dealers that they are working dilligently at holding prices, they are very nice folks to work with! I m posting here because they also state that have come up with a new shoe that is"slightly flexable enough to expand and contract with the horses hoof". seems the horse industry is looking for these properties! No Vibe calls it theNo Vibe hybrid. this is only info regards Ray Steele
OMG Ray, how on earth have the horses, in the past, been able to survive without these latest innovations. Must have been a miracle.
Nobody but us, notices or cares, we just put shoes on. "how hard could it be? Brian does it and he's an old guy." LOL
My first time posting here. I received a pair of razor shoes from Chris. put them on one of my wife's barrel horses. Here is what I have noticed, Excellent traction, actual small increase in stride. Seemed to have more confidence during the runs.What I like about them . The low profile keeps the sole and frog in contact with the ground. and the foot preforming as close to bare foot as possible. Rounded edges less danger of cutting in case of a hit during a run. Traction on the inside of the web. Use of smaller nails ,less damage to hoof wall The shoe seemed to do a good job of releasing dirt when the foot is in flight .Did not ball up. More testing will be done on different types of ground this weekend she will have two runs in different arenas. So far I like what I see.I do have an advantage over most farriers in this category of barrel horses. I ride them every day and know what it feels like in the saddle when a horse is running with confidence. I will be putting more of these on when I can get my hands on them. For creds look up LRMbarrelhorses.com I have been around this game awhile.
