Shoes absorbing shock

[Greg Miles <elbarec@icon.co.za>]

Hi there my name is Greg Miles and I live in the countryside is South Africa and breed Arabians mainly for endurance.
I have got a little Arab Stallion(14`2) and he runs all day and I have often been to a ride without training , due to the fact that I was to busy to train .He keeps himself fit if there is a mare or new horse he can see.

He also wears down his shoes quickly and a few times I have welded up (arc welded)where the shoes have worn down and they definately last longer.
On the other hand a vet told me that if a shoe is too hard is does not absord any of the shock . Maybe pads can be put on with the shoes to absorb the shock ?

I got hold of some military shoes which were not used as they were to difficult to shape, or maybe they took to long to shape .After using these shoes for 2 weeks and 100 miler you could still clearly see the number under the shoe . I stopped using them because I was scared they were not absorbing enough shock .

Can any one shed any light on this matter.
thank you 
Greg Miles.

X-From_: rides2far@juno.com  Sun May  3 16:47:58 1998
To: elbarec@icon.co.za
Date: Sun, 3 May 1998 10:45:30 -0400
Subject: Re: Re Shoes not lasting.
X-Mailer: Juno 1.49
From: rides2far@juno.com (Angela C. McGhee)



>(arc welded)where the shoes have worn down and they definately last 
>longer.
>On the other hand a vet told me that if a shoe is too hard is does not
>absord any of the shock . Maybe pads can be put on with the shoes to 
>absorb
>the shock ?

Surely he doesn't think ANY steel shoe absorbs any shock.  The problem
with adding Borium to shoes to make them last is that it "grabs'.  This
prevents the shoe from having a little slide to it when it hits the
ground, thus it increases concussion.  Maybe that's what he meant.

Angie

__________________________________________________________
REPLY

Dear  Angie.

A>Surely he doesn`t think ANY steel shoe absorbs any shock 

B>The problem with adding Borium to shoes to make the last is that it "grips"


A)1)Surely you know that ANY object be it wood , concrete or steel absorbs shock .
2)The amount of shock which a certain type of steel   absorbs depends entirely on its composition .
3)Different types of shoes are made up of different type of metals therefore they do not absorbs the same amount of shock.
4)The properties of a shoe also depend on the treatment they recieved when manufactured, eg. did the metal get cooled off in oil , water or cool off by itself . The way a metal is cooled off affects its "temper" .

5) Take two lengths of rod the same diameter and length one being spring steel and the other ordinary steel.
Holding the rod hit upon a anvil using the same force with both rods and you will notice that the springsteel rod absorbed much less shock !

B)When arc welding there are numerous types of welding rods , no only Borium if you want to really make a weld not wear out you can use a TUNGSTEN welding rod .

I have welded shoes before and they grab only for a very short while and then become smooth , thereafter they do not grab and now slide when they hit the ground .

You can also hear the different sounds different shoes make when banged together .

HOW MUCH SHOCK DOES A CERTAIN KIND OF SHOE ABSORB ?????

WHAT KINDS OF SHOES DO YOU GET (METAL COMPOSITION)????

WHAT ROLL OR HOW MUCH OF A ROLE DOES ABSORBSION OF SHOES PLAY IN ENDURANCE RIDING  , OBVIOUSLY TAKING THE TERRAIN INTO CONSIDERATION . (The softer terrain obviously plays a negligible part)???????

Could anyone (Knowledgeable ) in this subject please answer my questions.

Happy riding.
Greg Miles
El Barec Arabians
South Africa