Sidewinder shoes

Has anyone ever used these before? I used a new farrier yesterday because my truck was broken. Anyway, she seemed very knowledgeable and has been in the business for about 22 years. She showed me these shoes that barrel racers use and thought they might be a good choice for an eventer (I didn't put them on my horse yesterday by the way).

Just wanted to see some thoughts and opinions since I've never seen them before. They are aluminum by the way and she said they have a short life expectance because of that.

Best Buy on Sidewinder Horseshoes

Hmm... interesting... I'm hoping someone can speak up about them. The shoes my farrier uses are pretty awesome already as they work with a break over naturally. But these could be interesting...

I trim more than I shoe but I'll jump in. The rolled toed will quicken break over slightly - that is why you'll often see rolled or "rockered" toes on horses with ringbone etc. You end up with a slightly different arc of travel of the foot - a touch higher and sharper, not going to make a daisy cutter into a hackney though. The full rim is good for traction it will pack with dirt and dirt on dirt gives good grip without hard grab. I do not know the purpose of the little divots on the outside edge. Aluminum is softer as well as lighter so the shoe will spread under the horses weight slightly, if the horse has iffy feet this can eventually lead to cracking around the nails - as they shift slightly with the shoe they pull outwards on the hoof wall. Probably not an issue with a horse with normal feet but can be a problem if used longterm on poor feet. They will likely only last one cycle if you do any roadwork, two if you are a ring only girl. Light weight may give a slight edge in highly competitve hunters or in fatigue levels for racing, I doubt it would make a difference in eventing.

She said something about the sides helping with traction for barrel racers on turns. She told me her daughter uses these on her barrel horse but their usually only good for one shoeing so what ever 6-8 weeks and you have to get new shoes instead of a reset. Plus she said they run about $10-$12 a pair :-p

What kinda terrain do you ride ? From the endurance world riding alot of rocks and hills, two schools of thought. The aluminum provides much better grip on rock. However some say this is bad as it can lead to injuries from grabbing. IE the reason foot ball players hate artificial turf, too much grab. Others say the better traction reduces slips and injuries. Who's to say. The "reset" issue seems to be a farrier issue. As the farriers I have used charge the same fee whether it is reset or new. I don't get many resets even with steel.