January 2001

In support of our mission statement for educational development, here is the Eighth edition of Info Gaits.

Shoeing the Tennessee Walker

As a full time farrier of many years, whose specialty is gaited horses; I see many mistakes and errors of shoeing the Tennessee Walking Horse. Everyone gets caught up in the quick fixes and gimmicks. We forget about honest old fashion basic shoeing skills. A horseshoe or pad can do nothing by itself. It's all in the application.

The greatest help any horse owner can give his or her farrier is to truly understand the gaits of the Tennessee Walker. When it is right and even when it's wrong.

I often hear, "my Tennessee Walker isn't gaiting like when I got it." A lot of factors can cause a horse to lose its true gait; shoeing being only one of the reasons. As a farrier, I want to know what has been changed on the shoeing of the horse to cause it to lose its gait. There are five factors that may be controlled by the farrier. They are:

1. The length of the hoof
2. The angle of the hoof
3. Weight of the shoe
4. Position of the weight on the hoof
5. Type of shoe (even weight, toe weight, heel weight, etc.)

These factors, along with the horse's natural ability, training, and rider's ability, will determine how the horse will gait. (con't) Info Gaits Con't

Often I am asked to shoe a horse that is pacey or trotty; and to help it become true in it's gait. Regardless of how the horse is shod, it's not a cure all for a horse that is not gaited properly.

I know that in a lot of areas, there are no gaited-horse farriers; but if the owner is knowledgeable on the gaits and shoeing of the Walking Horse, he or she can relate to the farrier what is needed to properly shoe the horse.

One of the biggest problems in shoeing the Walking Horse is trying to over shoe the horse. When the horse needs a number 2 size shoe, the owner will want a size 3 or 4 size shoe. Each horse has a certain size hoof and can only carry a certain size shoe.

When an owner uses a plantation shoe, it changes the horse from a pleasure horse into a show ring horse. HORSES WEARING PLANTATION SHOES SHOULD NOT BE TURNED OUT! It becomes a stalled show horse. A thrown plantation shoe can and will do a lot of damage to a hoof. Putting a band on the plantation shoe is of great help; but it cannot be emphasized enough that regardless if a shoe has a band on or not; it's a stall-bound show horse!

It is very true that the Tennessee Walker moves and gaits like no other breed of horse; yet we must never forget, it is still a horse and must be trimmed, balanced and shod according to it's natural angle to perform at it's best.

We hear the term "gaited or long-toed horse." The length of the hoof effects how the action will be on each horse. After the hoof reaches a certain length it loses its ability to hold a shoe and can cause it to lose shoes. We must be realistic about how long we let a hoof grow before trimming it back. A hoof that is 4 ½ to 5 inches long will and can hold a shoe if it is healthy. Longer toe length will become weak and tend to crack and chip, regardless how hard we try to fix them

So we must be realistic about how we shoe the Tennessee Walking Horse.

Contributor: Randy Pennycuff, Certified Journeyman Farrier