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USEA Eventing Coaches Program Announces 2026 Symposium at Malvern… USEA Eventing Coaches Program Announces 2026 Symposium at Malvern House Farm

ECP Coach Ashley Johnson: Better Coaching for a Brighter Future ECP Coach Ashley Johnson: Better Coaching for a Brighter Future

Boxing Day Meet.

A reader asks Jim Wofford, “When should I start putting studs in my horse's shoes?”
Jim Wofford: My smart-aleck answer is, "When do you want to stop slipping?" There are many different theories about how to put studs in your horse's shoes, and my observation is that most of them work. My personal preference is to put four caulks of equal size in the front shoes. This will ensure that your horse's foot remains level as it strikes the ground. For his hind feet, I like to have a slightly larger stud outside behind than inside. This allows his hind foot to pivot as he plants it, which will help prevent torsional injuries to the lower leg.
If we give our horses any sort of additional traction in questionable footing, they seem able to do the rest for us. My only additional comment is that when you can't decide between "road studs" and "little bullets," always go with the next largest size. I am sure I "overcaulked" a horse at some time in my career, but I do not know exactly when that happened. However, I can tell you to the day when I competed with not enough caulk and wound up sliding into a jump and injuring my horse. Learn from my mistake.

Jim recommends keeping a wide selection of studs in your grooming box, because you must be ready for any type of footing. A good assortment includes: 1. Little road stud, 2. Small grass tip, 3. Medium grass tip, 4. Large grass tip, 5. Little bullet, 6. Large bullet, 7. Small block, 8. Medium block, 9. Large block. If you are competing on grass dressage arenas, use small road studs or little bullets all around. Short, wet grass on firm footing is one of the slickest situations you will encounter.

More frequent reader questions and Jim’s responses here >>https://practicalhorsemanmag.com/training/jim-wofford-the-eventing-faqs-of-the-matter