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RE: [RC] Why do Thoroughbreds need shoes? - Karen E. Franklin"Sand is very abrasive. I suspect the harder it is, the more abrasive it is..." Ah, here's where I come in! :) The vast majority of sand is quartz sand (I'm not talking about volcanic sand beaches), mixed with a bit of feldspars, although I don't know exactly what kind of sand that race tracks generally use. On Moh's scale of hardness, quartz has a hardness of six, while human fingernails and horses hooves have a hardness of about 2.5 to 3 (Talc is 1, Diamond is 10). It stands to reason that the longer a horse is run on such an abrasive surface, the faster its hooves will wear down. I would think that horses kept and run on grass though would not generally need to be shod, unless for some reason they needed it, but that is not where my expertise lies. Thanks. :) Karen E. Franklin Project Geologist Tulsa, OK =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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