Plastic slip-on hooves that making nailing horseshoes a thing of the past

A revolutionary slip-on plastic coated hoof that doubles as an equine fashion accessory could spell the end for nailing on horseshoes. An equestrian designer came up with the 'GluShu', which uses a traditional metal horseshoe that is coated in a durable thick plastic covering and glued to the animal's foot rather than nailed. The coating offers the horse more cushioning and offers an easier alternative to the traditional method of fitting shoes.

But not only are they easier to fit and more comfortable for the horse, the shoes could become something of an equine fashion accessory as they come in a variety colours including neon pink and grey and look like the popular plastic sandals Crocs. The new shoes were designed by John Wright with the help of GB Olympic equestrian team farrier Jeffrey Newnham. John, managing director of GluShu, which is based in Team Valley, Gateshead, said: 'It's an up-to-date solution to shoeing a horse, that has been updated from what was introduced 500 years ago.


While the American concept relies on gluing shoes to horses feet, the horse is forced to stand still for more than 15 minutes - which often means it has to be tranquilised. The US way is also a more messy procedure as the plastic coating on the shoe has to be mixed and applied in the stable. The GluSHu however slots simply onto the horse's hoof and is glued on - a process that takes around three minutes. The plastic flaps around the top of the shoe simply bend backwards and forwards to accommodate any shaped hoof.

Although having a horseshoe fitted the original way isn't painful for the animal - it has no nerves in its hoof - it is said by vets to be an improvement to the old method.