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You are here: Home / Articles / Horse care

27 October, 2000

More riders are using studs indoors, and today's technical courses, with lighter poles and flatter cups, demand increasing accuracy.

Using the correct configuration of studs can make the difference between winning and losing a jump-off, as Eddie Palin discovered when he and John Whitaker put their heads together to design the Liveryman range.

"While most riders have two stud holes in each horseshoe, John has four for more choice of position. If there is a crucial turn, John puts long studs on the outside to help get a better grip."

Eddie recommends a stud kit should include a t-tap - "for cleaning the thread, not making a new one; only a farrier can do that" - plus spanner and stud plugs.

Designed to keep the empty hole clean, ready-made plugs (or sleepers) come in shaped cotton wool, metal, rubber or plastic.

"With solid plugs, beware of the ends breaking off once the horse moves about making it nearly impossible to remove them. We find the moulded cotton wool plugs, flicked out with a farrier's nail and thrown away, work best."

How many?

Although using two studs in each hoof provides a level bearing surface, theoretically reducing the strain on joints, pointed studs on the inside pose a risk of brushing injuries to the opposite leg.

Some riders overcome the problem by using blunt, square studs, known as blanks, on the inside. Rear stud holes are positioned well towards the heel to avoid over-reach damage.

Making the right choice - Eddie Palin recommends:

Good grass going or fibrous indoor surfaces - standard jump stud.

Firm ground - long, slim, pointed stud.

Loose sand schools or well watered grass - dome topped studs which do not penetrate too far but have a wide profile for grip.

Varying terrain, eg. cross - country - pointed jump stud.

Tarmac - road studs, "anything larger jams the brakes on too hard as the hoof hits the road causing joint strain."

Slippery on top, firm underneath - fat at the top for grip, pointed lower section to dig into the ground.

Boggy and deep - very large, uniformly fat studs for grip.

Hard ground - thin, pointed studs to penetrate the ground.

Snow - H-shaped studs.

Stud Factfile

Studs are only as good as the shoes into which they are screwed. Big studs will quickly pull off suspect shoes. v

Save time and temper - practice studding-up at home.

Keep studs in a secure vcontainer and to avoid rust, wrap them in a lightly oiled cloth. Keep spanners, plugs, nails and t-taps together as a kit.

Clean and re-plug stud holes the day before a competition, do not wait until you get to a showonly to find a stone has got jammed in. On removing the stud, add oil to the hole before re-plugging.

Use a consistent stud pattern appropriate for the going. But do not try out very big studs for the first time at a competition.

Correctly chosen and fitted studs give horses confidence on slippery going, and are also a psychological bonus for riders.

Beware of studded-up horses wrecking your horsebox floor.

Your farrier is a useful source of advice; some also supply studs.

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