The hoof angle is totally different to other equine disciplines, Dr Mac writes.
Reining is a relatively new sport in South Africa. It was invented in the US, where horses were used to separate weanling calves from their dams or to move Longhorn steers out of thorn scrub. Similar to dressage, where the moves originated from those required of a cavalry horse during a battle, it’s become highly stylised. Like dressage, riders follow a set pattern and are marked on the accuracy of the movement as well as style, balance and control of the horse. Instead of the well-known dressage movements, the reining horse is expected to do flying changes, rapid spins, rollbacks and sliding stops.
All this requires expert shoeing that’s very different to shoeing used for dressage, jumping, carriage, racing or endurance horses. Eric Laporte, member of the French reining team and overall individual reining champion in France for the last seven years, recently held a workshop for farriers at Circle W Quarterhorse Stud near Krugersdorp. He owns a training establishment and has become an internationally respected expert on management and training of reiners. He is also an expert in shoeing.
Eric emphasises farriers should be aware that reining horses execute different movements to other disciplines. The first obvious difference is the length of the stride – for the horse to be able to turn and twist rapidly during spins and rollbacks, the stride should be shorter than that of a dressage horse which has to perform extended paces.
Therefore the front feet are cut at a steeper angle and the toe is squared. The shoe itself is also square, rather than round in front. The hind feet are far more sloped than the front hooves and the shoes are known as “slides” – they are wide, flat shoes ground to a smooth surface with an angle grinder and forged so the front toe turns upwards – almost like a horseshoe-shaped miniature sled. This is to facilitate the sliding stop and prevent the toe of the horse from digging into the sand. The shoes are fastened with three nails on each side and the back branches of the shoes project about 1cm to 2cm beyond the heels of the horse. On each hoof, the outside branch of the shoe is longer than the inside branch.
According to Eric, when the first International Equine Federation show was held in Europe, the vets, who were used to checking dressage and jumping horses, wanted to declare the reiners unsound because of the shortened gait in the front legs. They had to be reassured by the US vets who were used to doing soundness examinations on the horses registered with the National Reining Horse Association. Eric stressed that shoes should be tailored to individual conformation and should improve balance. Having sliding plates on is a bit of a headache for horse owners and shouldn’t be undertaken lightly. When travelling in a horse box, the horses tend to slide and lose their balance. Riders also have to be careful when riding in other sports – the extra length of the hind shoes can cause joint problems if the horse is used for barrel racing, for instance. It’s not recommended that horses be shod for reining except by farriers trained to do so. E-mail Dr Mac c/o [email protected]. |fw
