Q: I recently had a new client contact me who has racing Quarter Horses and he wants them shod with race plates. I don’t have any experience with racehorses and racing plates. I imagine they’re shod the same way — by making sure the foot is balanced and level — followed by putting the shoe on.

Is there anything else that I need to know about this? I would appreciate any tips or help.

—Jeremy Romoser

A: I shoe racehorses and I’m also a trainer, so maybe I can give you some help. First of all, there are two types of racing shoes on the market: Quarter Horse racing shoes and Thoroughbred racing shoes.

Quarter Horse shoes generally have a larger toe grab than Thoroughbred racing plates. You can buy racing shoes that have the following features on the front: outer rim shoes, shoes with low toe grabs and Queens style plates with no toe grab.

For hind racing shoes, there are basically three common types:

1. Block heel shoes that feature a toe and heel and are only available in aluminum.
2. “Plain” hinds that feature a toe grab.
3. “Stickers” that feature a toe grab with a calk on the outside heel and the inside is plain.

If I were you, I would call this client back and ask what type of racing shoes they’d like on their horse. Most track trainers will tell you the types of shoes they prefer to use and you can have them on hand ahead…