Howard Beissinger started training his own stable of Standardbreds after World War II. The native of south- west Ohio and Hall of Fame trainer eventually won four Hambletonian races.

Over the years, he’s learned a great deal about shoeing from many farriers. As a result, he’s developed plenty of highly practical ideas on shoeing horses for the harness track.

Q: Would you recommend shoeing a young pacer that’s just starting to be broken?

A: If the yearling is carrying enough foot, I wouldn’t be in a hurry to nail on shoes. If the foot is worn down for some reason, you’ll have to put some kind of shoes on, such as a lightweight shoe that offers some sort of protection.

There’s a lot of emphasis on what shoes a horse wears, but the way the foot is trimmed is more important than the shoe he wears. You must keep a natural angle on the horse’s front feet. For some horses, 54 degrees will be a natural angle, while others will have a natural angle of 47 degrees.

It’s important that a yearling put his foot down flat when it lands, so you can tell how a horse is traveling by the wear on the shoes. If the outside of the shoe is wearing thin, lower it…