1982 Article Overview

Dr. Bill Moyer originally shared the ideas found in his article “Commentary On Racehorse Shoeing” at the 11th annual American Farrier’s Association Convention in 1982 in Valley Forge, Pa. When this article was published, he was on staff at the New Bolton Center in University of Pennsylvania. Moyer’s presentation and article both served to share his views on current and future shoeing methods for racehorses.

“The racehorse provides the best example of what shoeing does or doesn’t do for a horse. A racehorse is going to show the change in shoeing quickly,” Moyer says.

Moyer begins his article not by jumping into the different types of shoes and shoeing methods that are employed in the racehorse world, but instead by explaining how yearling sales affect the quality of the Thoroughbred breed’s feet. Most Thoroughbred foals, which were confined to a solitary, comparatively inactive lifestyle until they were old enough, would not have the type of exercise they’d need to meet athletic standards.

After establishing the challenges racehorse feet present to farriers, Moyer shares his views on shoes and shoeing methods. One of the most notable points he makes is about keg shoes, a term that he uses to refer to manufactured steel and aluminum shoes.

He goes on to identify that most keg shoes do not fit the requirements a shoe must meet in order to help a racehorse perform well. For one thing, the keg shoes he discusses are too narrow and difficult to shape.

In…