What to know before adding hind shoes
Bottom line
A new The Horse feature published September 23, 2026, takes a practical look at when adding hind shoes may help a horse and when it may not. The article centers on input from farriers working in referral and teaching settings, including Lance Yohe at UC Davis and Jason Wilson-Maki at Texas A&M, and frames hind shoeing as a case-by-case decision shaped by hoof wear, footing, workload, therapeutic goals, and safety concerns. The visible portion of the article emphasizes a classic indication for shoeing: when hoof wear outpaces growth, especially in horses exposed to hard, abrasive, or seasonally shifting ground conditions. (thehorse.com)
Why it matters: For equine veterinarians and farriers, the piece reinforces that hind shoeing isn't a routine upgrade but a management and medical decision tied to soundness, performance, and hoof protection. That aligns with broader AAEP guidance that performance-horse care should put welfare first and rely on evidence-based decision-making. It also fits with published AAEP proceedings noting that hind-foot conformation problems, including low or underrun heels, can contribute to subtle hind-limb lameness or poor performance, even though hind-limb farriery remains less studied than forelimb work. (aaep.org)
What to watch: Expect continued discussion around which horses truly benefit from hind shoes, versus alternatives such as boots, glue-on protection, or trim changes, as clinicians and farriers push for more evidence in hind-limb farriery. (thehorse.com)
Key facts
- Article
- The Horse feature, "What to Know Before Adding Hind Shoes"
- Publication date
- September 23, 2026
- Main topic
- When adding hind shoes may help a horse, and when it may not
- Core indication
- When hoof wear outpaces hoof growth
- Common contributing conditions
- Hard, abrasive, or seasonally shifting ground conditions
- Decision factors
- Hoof wear, footing, workload, therapeutic goals, and safety concerns
- Expert sources
- Lance Yohe, UC Davis, and Jason Wilson-Maki, Texas A&M
- Alternatives mentioned
- Boots, glue-on protection, or trim changes
A new article from The Horse is putting a familiar but often oversimplified question back in front of equine practitioners: when should a horse be shod behind? Published September 23, 2026, “What to Know Before Adding Hind Shoes” presents hind shoeing as a nuanced decision rather than a default step, drawing on comments from referral-hospital farriers at UC Davis and Texas A&M. The article’s early sections point to hoof protection as a core reason to add hind shoes, particularly when environmental wear exceeds hoof growth. (thehorse.com)
That framing lands in a part of equine practice where tradition, biomechanics, and discipline-specific expectations often overlap. In the article, Yohe describes a draft mare that became footsore after seasonal footing changes softened then thinned the hoof before summer ground hardened. Wilson-Maki adds that protection can take several forms, including nailed-on shoes, glue-on devices, or boots, and says the right choice depends on the horse’s individual needs and the farrier’s and pet parent’s goals. The piece also notes that some pet parents pursue hind shoes for therapeutic or performance reasons, while others avoid them because of safety concerns. (thehorse.com)
The broader literature supports that caution. AAEP proceedings from 2018 state that hind-limb farriery has been studied less than forelimb farriery, yet low-heel or underrun-heel conformation in the hind feet may be associated with subtle bilateral lameness, poor performance, and strain elsewhere in the hind limb. The same proceedings argue that these horses can be misread as having proximal suspensory, hock, stifle, or back pain when hoof conformation is part of the problem. (aaep.org)
At the same time, the available evidence suggests clinicians should resist one-size-fits-all shoeing strategies. A 2023 The Horse commentary on show-horse movement noted that some older practices, such as setting hind shoes back to reduce overreaching, have fallen out of favor because a quicker breakover behind may increase strain on the stifle. Other coverage from The Horse has highlighted that hind shoes may alter hind-limb movement and could help some lame horses, but also that more research is needed, including around traction and performance effects. (thehorse.com)
Industry guidance also shows how context matters. HISA educational material for racing has prohibited most traction devices on front and hind shoes during training and racing, citing links between traction devices, altered limb mechanics, and injury risk. That doesn’t directly govern most sport and pleasure horses, but it underscores a larger point relevant to veterinarians: adding grip or changing hind-foot mechanics can have downstream musculoskeletal consequences, and those tradeoffs should be considered explicitly. (americanfarriers.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this story is less about whether hind shoes are “good” or “bad” and more about disciplined case selection. Horses with excessive hind-foot wear, thin soles, seasonal environmental stress, or conformational issues may benefit from added protection or mechanical support. But the decision should sit inside a broader lameness and performance workup that includes footing, discipline demands, interference history, hoof capsule integrity, and collaboration with a qualified farrier. AAEP’s current performance-horse guidance, while not specific to hind shoes, is a useful lens here: put welfare first, practice evidence-based medicine, and match interventions to the horse’s job. (thehorse.com)
Expert reaction in the public domain appears limited because The Horse article is mainly a subscriber feature rather than a study or regulatory announcement. Still, the sources available around it point in the same direction: hind shoeing decisions are becoming more individualized, less tradition-driven, and more tied to careful biomechanical reasoning. That’s especially relevant for veterinarians fielding questions from pet parents who may assume hind shoes are either a performance shortcut or an unnecessary risk. (thehorse.com)
What to watch: Watch for more clinically useful data on hind-foot conformation, traction, and lameness outcomes, and for continued vet-farrier collaboration as practices shift away from habit-based hind shoeing toward horse-specific plans. (aaep.org)