Fitting

Only use cold-shaping to shape the base shoe. Never heat in the forge.

Unlike a conventional steel shoe, a close fit, at the heel and quarters, is undesirable. Overreaching becomes much less of a problem - most horses who did overreach in steel shoes, won't with Slypners. It is unnecessary to hook or curl heels to the exact hoof shape. Allow the branches of the shoe to run out on the quarters.

Set the shoe a little wider to allow for increased growth and expansion.

When shaping the shoe the hammer must be used on the hoof side only. Use only light taps on the hoof side of the shoe, rather than one hard blow. Extreme changes to the shoe should be avoided. Direct blows to the outer locking rim of the base plate must be avoided. Do not strike the toe coupling or attempt to reshape this area.

A 21 oz. dead blow hammer is recommended.

Nailing

Slypner Horseshoe nails are an important part of the Slypner Horseshoe package. It is important to use only Slypner nails in applying the base shoe since the nail heads are designed to help hold the wearing sole in place.

When nailing, be sure to not overdrive the nails. Slypner nails are softer than conventional nails so we recommend driving them with softer blows. To ensure a proper fit, do not over-drive the nails or abuse the nail heads in any way. This is extremely important. Slypner nails work properly when driven so the nail shaft, which widens near the nail head, just begins to snug up against the plastic-lined nail hole. Pounding the nails more deeply will prevent the locking system from working properly.

If a nail hole is not used, a nail should be riveted in the empty hole so all eight nail heads can engage the locking system.

Do not let the horse stand on the unprotected base shoe. This protects the nail heads and keeps the locking mechanism from getting packed with dirt. Do not attach all the base shoes first. It is important to attach a wearing sole to each base shoe right away.

After shoeing with Slypner shoes for a while most people feel the process is a simple one.