Continental Tires is collaborating with German firm GmbH to create an award-winning alternative to traditional horseshoes called Turfcord. 

Known as Turfcord, the product is a result from development that’s intended to change farrier work. It is designed to leave horses’ gait and cushioning unaltered and remain on the hoof for up to 8 weeks.

“It is important to us to create an alternative to horseshoes that would provide lasting protection for hooves without all those drawbacks,” according to Eric Buschmann of Turfcord in a press release.

Turfcord won the Innovation Pferd award at Germany’s Pferd & Jagd equestrian show.

“Thanks to some hard work in development, we have now attained this objective,” Buschmann says. “The whole team is proud of the fact that Turfcord’s potential has been recognized and honored with this award.”

The product is years in the making, developed at the Continental training workshop in Korbach, Germany, and manufactured at ContiTech in Stöcken-Hannover.

“With our expertise in production and elastomers, we have been able to carry out further optimizations to Turfcord to make it ready for production,” says Kai Frühauf, head of ContiTech Vibration Control.

Turfcord will be available for front and rear hooves in 12 sizes. Applied with an adhesive that allows expansion with the hoof throughout wear, the lightweight and shock-absorbing material aims to relieve strain on horse’s joints.