Flat. Not “in the game.” Swapping leads before a jump. Pulling hind legs forward over a jump far too soon. Moving beautifully on the flat, yet refusing cross rails. Sailing over a 3-foot 6 inch vertical, but fracture lame after landing. Shortened steps walking down grassy slopes. Trotting 10 eager strides then breaking to a walk. Nonweight-bearing three days after application of a well-beveled shoe.

These problems my horses had at one time or another and were ultimately a result of concussion of their toes against their shoes. These signs would occur regardless of which experienced farrier had meticulously applied the shoes and whether the shoes were plastic, aluminum, or steel, applied with nails or glue, or beveled or void of glue at the toe.

My horses, ridden nearly year round, go barefoot except in summer when the ground hardens. I decided for these shod months to learn to apply glue-on shoes myself. Because I found shaping a shoe for my geriatric horse's large trapezoidal feet an onerous task, I "deconstructed” a plastic horse shoe to fit him. I cut it in half, straightened the two pieces to create longer branches, glued the branches on with the toe unprotected, and turned him out.

The “shoes” remained secure for three months of pasture turnout and trail rides until I thought I had better remove them, having been on so long. Remarkably, his heels had migrated forward very little–something horses’ heels tend to do when wearing a traditional shoe left alone for this long of a time. Intrigued, I tested a deconstructed shoe (what I now call a “ROST” shoe, for “Reimer Open Shoe Technique”) late last year using aluminum shoes on another horse that needed a shoe to protect a heel bulb laceration, with identical results. This July I used my three riding horses to determine if ROST shoes tolerated athletic use and reduced toe concussion