American Farriers Journal
American Farriers Journal is the “hands-on” magazine for professional farriers, equine veterinarians and horse care product and service buyers.
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Q: This summer, I’m going to outfit a carriage company in a town that requires rubber shoes. Apparently, the town fathers got tired of Borium tearing up the streets.
The two options I’ve found offering synthetic shoes in draft horse shoe sizes are the Remuda Tire Co., and a company called Flex-Step. I called Remuda and found them to be very helpful with installation tips and real-world information.
I called Flex-Step and was told the following: “We’re sorry, but the person who used to know anything about those shoes has retired.” That answer alone should make the decision for me, but Flex-Step shoes are carried at the local farrier store where my customer buys harness tack and they sure look like they would work well.
I’m having a problem figuring out how to attach the Flex-Step shoes properly. It’s obvious that you drill a nail hole, but what size drill bit should I use? Countersink them or not? What size nail? How do you cut the shoe to size when it’s an inch thick of grey rubber and I don’t have a bandsaw on my truck?
Is there anyone who has used Flex-Step shoes on draft horses who can warn me or give me some installation tips? With the Flex-Step shoe, I fear I will drill a hole, nail it on, send the horse off with a load of tourists and wait for the horse to tear the shoe off because of an application error.
Most likely, we’ll go with…
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Life Data Labs Inc
Life Data Labs Inc. is a dedicated product manufacturer committed to producing premium quality animal nutrition and health products through continuous product improvement and new product development. First-class ingredients, fresh products, consistent high quality and scientifically proven effectiveness are the principal features of Life Data Labs animal health products. And that's why they've produced the #1 recommended hoof supplement by farriers for 12 consecutive years.
Kawell USA
Kawell develops and produces copper alloy horseshoes and inserts, giving horses the care that they need to fight issues associated with white line disease, seedy toe and thrush.
SmartPak
From the feed room to the tack room, SmartPak offers innovative solutions to help riders take great care of their horses. SmartPak was founded in 1999 with the introduction of the patented SmartPak™ supplement feeding system. The revolutionary, daily dose SmartPaks are custom-made for your horse, individually labeled and sealed for freshness.