Do Reiners Need Special Shoes?: A Summary of Sliding Plates for the Beginner
I asked Al Popovich of the Smokin P Ranch if reining horses really wore special shoes. He gave me such a great reply that I thought I would share it:
Yes there are special shoes for reiners…they call them slider plates. They are wider than normal shoes, do not have any fullering for the nails but the nails are countersunk flush. They also make some changes in hoof angle at times if the horse can handle it. All to make them slide farther of course. But you do have to be careful…it can actually scare a horse if he feels the loss of traction. They have what they call “baby sliders” for starting colts…not as wide so they don’t slide as far. Everyone has an opinion as to when to put them in sliders but I tend to wait until they are pretty darned advanced. I’m not a big believer in horseshoes anymore since studying some of the barefoot research. But in this instance it is a necessity when the time comes. But whatever you do get the best farrier you can find…even if it means paying his plane fare…it is that important.
The length of your slides will depend on a lot of factors. The horse (of course), his speed, form, the surface you are sliding on, how you position yourself, etc. Also if you watch the really good reiners they aren’t only sliding…they are actually pulling themselves with their front legs. Until they start doing that you’re probably lucky to get 5-10 feet in regular shoes or barefoot. Watch a calf roping horse - they basically do the same as a reiner but slide very little. Even though they have very good form with their hindquarters dropping under, you can see some of them bounce in the front end…because they are using their front legs also to stop that calf. We all tend to concentrate on the back end when working on stops but it really is a “whole horse” maneuver.
Might want to set up a “slide track” in your arena or riding area…a spot with a good hard slick base and a soft sandy top cover. Just don’t make the end of it too close to the fence…some of them ol horses really can slide….don’t ask me how I know about the fence bein too close. Woulda made a good video though.
I found a good picture of the shoes on this site: Spanish Lake Blacksmith Shop
Well I sure appreciate MJ postin my opinion here. Kinda makes me feel important or sumthin.
But as I got to thinking about it, it comes with some responsibility too. I hope when I write something of what maybe I learned along the way it helps somebody with their own horses. But I also learned long time ago just cause something works for me don’t mean somebody else will be happy with it.
When I started out with horses there wasn’t much information as compared to now. No internet. Not many clinicians and the ones that were around were way out west. Now there’s lots of them. For the most part I think they all do a pretty good job. But there’s some that just do things that plain won’t work for me. Now, I didn’t say they don’t work, I said they don’t work for ME.
What I think you gotta do is try to get as much information as you can. Whether it’s a world famous clinician or an old hand down the road. Listen to what they have to say. Try a few things out. But most important is see how it works for YOU and YOUR HORSES. Pretty soon you’ll develop a style of your own that’s a combination of a lot of things.
And even though maybe something don’t work for you today keep it tucked in the back of your head. As you go along it might just be that magic something that your horse or your program needs to move along.
Hopefully I can help out here a bit and make something easier for someone or a horse somewhere. I sure enough take enough information so maybe I can pay it back a little bit. But most of all listen to them horses…they’ll teach you a whole lotta things that no human can.
05 Nov 2007 at 2:48 pm
I am so glad that you are willing to share your advice and ideas. I agree with you about learning as much as possible from as many different trainers and riders as you can. But I also think it’s important for beginners to have mentors that help guide you along in your journey by saying things like what you just said Al.
06 Nov 2007 at 12:09 am