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Aluminum Isn't For Every Horse
Mequon, Wis., shoer Red Renchin says that he is often asked to put aluminum shoes on horses that are not kept in 
show-horse environments.
"An aluminum shoe is a show-horse shoe," he says. "Clients have to be realistic. You cannot treat a horse in aluminum shoes as a show horse on the weekend, but as a pasture horse for the rest of the week."
The majority of Renchin's show horses are turned out in a paddock for about an hour a day, ridden for a half hour to 45 minutes and spend the rest of the time in the stall. This schedule preserves their shoes, feet and legs. The Hall Of Fame shoer finds that prolonged turnout will destroy aluminum shoes in a matter of days and then the feet will disintegrate, too.
"Horses that have poor feet or need extra turnout are much better off in steel shoes," says Renchin. "Clients have to understand that each horse has his own way of going and that the good ones are freaks. That is why they are very expensive. It is more difficult to be competitive with a horse that isn’t a good mover, but it can be done.
"Some farriers have experimented with alternatives to aluminum. In my experience, titanium shoes do last longer, but they are much harder than steel and the horses do not like the lack of vibration dampening and often get sore feet."
