Goodsmith in action at the log skidding course

My Fjord boy Speedy lives in his own open stable together with our KB horses.

He had been shod until October last year and was then barefoot, because he had so awkwardly torn off a front shoe that shoeing was initially not possible. Behind we always go barefoot in winter.

At a glue-on course at Breunings he was then glued for the first time with a Goodsmith on all 4 hooves, simply because I was curious about an alternative.

My horse runs well with them, is ridden and driven.

The Goodsmith have now been on the hooves for three weeks, and on the weekend before 1 May we attended our first log skidding course with Speedy, with Volker Schmelz and his wife Irene as trainers.

At the course we participants first learned a lot in theory, including about suitable equipment, and were then able to make our first log skidding experiences with our own horses.

I was very curious to see how the Goodsmith system would prove itself under heavier load. Right after the log skidding on the weekend we also had our club outing with 8 carriages in a column.

Everything held up great, and Speedy was able to master all the tasks set for him perfectly.

The other participants were also very interested in this type of shoeing, so on the second day I brought along a base plate for them to look at, which then made the rounds and was examined extensively.

My conclusion after 3.5 weeks with the Goodsmith Klebebeschlag: it is a real alternative and, with a little practice, can also be fitted and applied yourself.

Next week we will trim the front hooves and glue them again. The rear ones one to two weeks later. It seems to be a practical and, above all, flexible alternative to iron shoeing.

I will report back after the re-gluing.