10/04/2026
NO HOOF, NO HORSE! 🐎 — TYPES OF HORSESHOES ON THE RACETRACK
There is a lot more to a horseshoe than simply putting metal on the bottom of a foot.
The shoe a horse wears can depend on the horse itself, the condition of its feet, the surface it trains or races over, how quickly it wears through shoes, whether a certain area needs additional support or protection, and what the trainer, farrier and veterinarian are trying to accomplish.
On the racetrack, most Thoroughbreds are wearing aluminum race plates. Aluminum is much lighter than steel, which makes it particularly suited to racehorses. A standard race plate is relatively simple, but even race plates can be made with different toe shapes, clips and traction features depending on the horse and the surface.
Here are some of the different shoes you may hear about around the racetrack:
* Aluminum Race Plate: The everyday standard for most Thoroughbred racehorses. It is lightweight and designed to give the foot protection without adding unnecessary weight. These are commonly used both in training and racing.
* Steel Shoe: Steel is heavier than aluminum but is also much more durable. You will commonly see steel shoes on pony horses and other horses that need something capable of tolerating considerably more wear. Some horses simply wear through aluminum too quickly for it to be practical.
* Straight Bar Shoe: Instead of having two separate heels like a normal open shoe, a bar connects the back of the shoe straight across the heels. That connection increases support across the back of the foot and can help stabilize the hoof capsule. Bar shoes are often used when additional heel or hoof support is needed.
* Egg Bar Shoe: Another closed shoe, but instead of a straight bar across the heels, the shoe continues farther behind the foot in an oval or “egg” shape. That increases the ground-contact/support area behind the heel and can provide additional support to the back of the foot.
* Heart Bar Shoe: A heart bar adds a central extension designed to provide support beneath the frog in addition to the support provided around the hoof wall. This is a more specialized or therapeutic shoe and should be applied for a specific reason with appropriate farrier and veterinary guidance.
* Z-Bar: This is not simply a shoe you pull off a shelf and nail on. A Z-bar is generally custom fabricated by the blacksmith for that particular foot. Part of the shoe is removed or redirected so pressure can be taken away from an injured or compromised quarter of the hoof while the rest of the foot remains supported. The shape depends on exactly where the horse needs relief.
* Silver Queen / Square Toe / Fast Break: This style has a broader, squared-off toe rather than the rounded toe of a conventional race plate. Around the racetrack you may hear it referred to as a Silver Queen or Fast Break. The wider toe configuration changes the front portion of the shoe and can be selected based on the individual horse and the farrier’s goal.
* Glue-On Aluminum Shoe: It is still an aluminum horseshoe, but instead of securing it with traditional horseshoe nails, the shoe is attached using an adhesive system. This can be especially useful when there is not enough healthy hoof wall to comfortably hold nails or when the farrier wants to avoid putting additional nail holes into a compromised hoof wall.
* Polyflex / Flexible Polyurethane Shoe: Instead of aluminum or steel, Polyflex-type shoes are made from flexible polyurethane and are typically bonded to the foot with adhesive. They allow some flexibility while still providing protection and support. They can be particularly useful when a traditional nailed shoe is not ideal for that horse.
TOE GRAB vs. TOE CLIP vs. SIDE CLIPS
These terms sound similar, but they describe very different things.
A toe grab is about traction.
It is a raised bar or rib on the ground-facing surface of the shoe at the toe. Think of it somewhat like a cleat: instead of the entire shoe sitting completely flat against the track surface, the raised portion can pe*****te the dirt and provide additional grip.
That added traction is also why toe grabs are regulated. Too much resistance between the foot and the surface can change how the limb loads and releases as the horse moves.
A toe clip, on the other hand, is not a traction device.
It is a thin piece of aluminum shaped into a small rounded triangle at the outside edge of the shoe at the toe. When the shoe is fitted, that clip rests against the hoof wall. Its purpose is to help stabilize the shoe, reduce movement between the hoof and shoe, and take some of the workload off the nails.
Side clips, also called quarter clips, work the same way but are positioned farther around the sides of the shoe. Instead of one clip at the toe, there are typically two clips—one on each side. They help keep the shoe from twisting, sliding or shifting and can reduce stress on the nails.
So an easy way to remember it is:
Toe grab = grip on the ground.
Toe clip/side clips = help hold the shoe to the foot.
WHAT IS A “FULL OUTER RIM”?
You’ll see the term full outer rim in HISA’s horseshoe regulations, so it is important to understand what that actually means.
A full outer rim shoe has a raised rim running around the outside perimeter of the ground-facing surface of the shoe.
That is very different from a toe grab.
A toe grab concentrates traction into one raised area at the toe. A full outer rim distributes that raised traction surface around much more of the shoe.
HISA specifically states that it strongly recommends full outer rim shoes instead of toe grabs on the hind feet because an outer rim can provide traction while still allowing the hoof to land more flatly on the racing surface. HISA cites research linking toe grabs and other traction devices with increased stresses on bone and soft tissue.
CURRENT HISA HORSESHOE RULES
For horses training or racing on dirt, HISA currently permits hind shoes with either a full outer rim or a toe grab up to 4 millimeters in height. On the front feet, a full outer rim up to 2 millimeters may be used, but a toe grab cannot be present on the front shoe.
For horses training or racing on turf or synthetic surfaces, HISA prohibits traction devices on both the front and hind shoes. That includes toe grabs and other similar traction devices.
Toe clips and side clips serve a different purpose—they stabilize the shoe rather than creating ground traction.
And this is one of the biggest lessons I want students to take away from this post:
The shoe itself can tell you a lot about what the horse may need—but never assume that an unusual shoe means something is “wrong.”
A horse may wear a particular shoe because of its hoof shape, how it moves, the surface it works over, previous hoof damage, a quarter crack, heel support, wear pattern, or simply because that style works best for that individual horse.
When you work around racehorses every day, start paying attention to their feet. Know what shoes your horse normally wears. Look at them when you pick the feet. Notice whether a shoe has shifted, sprung, loosened, worn thin, lost nails, or disappeared altogether.
Because eventually, you shouldn’t just be able to say:
“He lost a shoe.”
You should be able to say:
“He lost his left-front aluminum plate with a toe clip,” or “He normally wears a bar shoe behind and that shoe has shifted.”
That is the difference between simply being around horses and learning to become a horseman.
No hoof, no horse. Know what’s on their feet—and know why.
