Natural Balance vs Cytec....opinions?

[RaThEr_Be_RiDiN]

Title says it all.....

i was wondering if people could offer there opinions on the pros and cons of the natural balance shoes and cytec ones...which do you think is best and why etc.

thanks.

EDIT: have now decided on natural Balance shoes.... does any one recommend a good natural balance farrier in the Guildford (surrey) area ?

[Wally]

The kind of shoe that best suits your horse might not suit another.

I know a farrier who drives, as does his wife, she asked for Cytek, he shod the horse and its way of going did not improve. I don't know many farriers who truly beleive that Caytek and NB have anything better to offer than a good shoe, properly balanced foot, maybe with a rolled toe.

[Giveitago]

There was a similar thread last week that I was going to add to.

Now, my boy has been in Cyteks for 2 years- no probs, great break over, healthy hooves etc etc.

However, just last week my farrier( 5th generation, Qualified, young and up to date, does it all) suggested that we put neddy in natural balance. He has been in NB before for a week, a long time ago (fitted by same farrier). I asked why we had taken them off initially and we could not remember, only conclusion that the YO had requested he go back in Cyteks.:confused:

So, farrier gave good reasons why my boy would benefit from NB. NB can be banged about a bit to allow the farrier to 'fit' the shoe to the shape of foot. Thus, the NB fits the hind feet much nicer, Cyteks are very round and do not follow the natural shape of my neddy. Also, NB shoes are made of different metal and will therefore eliminate slipping on the mud during winter much better than a Cytek. Lastly, the clenches on NB hold the hoof better- apparently the Cyteks start to lift-just an observation from this farrier.

So far, horse moves well, no slipping on wet ground, shoes still fixed firmly.

I'm waiting to see how long the shoe lasts, the cyteks were only on for 5 weeks.

Will update......(probably lose the damn things tomorrow now I've said all that):D

[RaThEr_Be_RiDiN]

thank you giveitago. im still debating which to go for (if any!) so updates will be greatly appreciated :D at the moment my horses hoofs are terrible....cracks, bits breaking off and his shoes are only lasting 3 weeks tops (we have changed farrier a few times and its been the same with all so i doubt it is the farrier!)

[Giveitago]

Farrier came to put an extra nail in the NB's last week as it seemed a bit loosa, and all is well. He has a very small flare on the inside of the O/S hind that the farrier will sort out at the next shoeing.

Horsy usually due for shoes about now but I think we've still got another week or so to go.

[Giveitago]

Still shoeing 6 weekly, no probs to report and getting a week extra compared to the Cyteks.

Did you find a farrier with space?

[puzzles]

i love natural balance - it's usually only when problems arise that cytec may be more beneficial

[Scarlett 001]

My boy just started on NB after his recent foot issues. In a few weeks, I'll let you know if his striding seems any better. It'll take a few more shoeings to get a feel for how it helps his hoof conformation and shape issues etc.

[Hero]

My Mare Has NB Shoes on :) There Fab

[Lucy J]

natural balance shoes have been the salvation of my mare's feet however only because of the superb farrier that gives her the correct trim before applying them. 10/10:D

[Giveitago]

Just to let everyone know. The last two shoeings have been 8 and 7 weeks apart- thats a big saving over a year. Neddy seems to be going well, no slipping, etc.

The ground has turned hard again and I am hosing his feet down to get some moisture in his hooves.

All seems well but I think I'll keep to a 7 week shoeing. At 8 weeks they start to clink a bit.

[Giveitago]

Now, not sure if this is a farrier issue but I have noticed that neddy is becoming a bit long in the toe.

I have mentioned it to my farrier and he will be shoeing him on Wednesday, placing the shoe a little differently to bring that toe back a bit.

Other than that, he has only lost the odd shoe, has good hoof and has kept to the 7 week shoeing as before.

Farrier reckons they are better for my neddy as he is able to shape the shoe to neddys foot easier, the metal is slightly more mouldable-he bashes it very hard with a large hammer to get the right sizing.

[coss]

Now, not sure if this is a farrier issue but I have noticed that neddy is becoming a bit long in the toe.

I have mentioned it to my farrier and he will be shoeing him on Wednesday, placing the shoe a little differently to bring that toe back a bit.

Other than that, he has only lost the odd shoe, has good hoof and has kept to the 7 week shoeing as before.

Farrier reckons they are better for my neddy as he is able to shape the shoe to neddys foot easier, the metal is slightly more mouldable-he bashes it very hard with a large hammer to get the right sizing.

interestingly when my mare was shod (couple of years ago) the farrier put NB shoes on her (only on the fronts, normal shoes on the hinds) - basically as he thought it would help her break over point and thought it would suit her.
the main problem was that i'd had one farrier who hardly ever touched her toes, filed the heels and ended up making her feet very flat. got a new farrier who made her feet much better, they then weren't keeping up with the workload hence shoeing. her toes were the only bit to grow really on her hoof and the NB shoe allowed her toe to do as it pleased whilst no making her flat footed, if it over shot the front of the shoe it got filed back by the road ;)
the farrier then forgot the NB shoes one time and put normal shoes on (with a front toe clip) and it pulled the shoes of her heel and to forward due to her toe growing :rolleyes: we went back to NB shoes and it suited. she's now barefoot again though. i think NB shoes just allow the toe to do as it pleases.
what are cyteks?

[Giveitago]

Farrier came today so neddy was shod.

Seems that the Simple Systems balancer (lunar eclipse) that I have put him on has really helped to improve his hoof growth.

Usually neddy only has a few mm to shave off when the farrier comes but this time, and the previous shoeing, the farrier has removed ample amounts of hoof.

This is what was giving the appearance of a long toe.

So, for now we will continue with the Natural Balance shoe.

[calypso]

Hi everyone, I've had Cyteks on for years now and having had all sorts of other shoes wouldn't have anything else. They give much better protection than any other shoe to the sole (no sore feet or bruises, pads etc..) and great grip on roads and I could count on one hand how many shoes he's lost. He's never had a day's lameness since (diffrent story before!) There's lots of tosh talked about them some of it unbelievable. I'll probably get slaughtered on this message board for saying so but my horse loves them so I can take it!!

[DebO]

My horse used to have natural balance shoes because he stumbled, and they really helped him. The only thing they do is alter the shape of the front of the foot and there's no front clip, so after a while we'd revert to normal shoes to allow his feet to return to normal shape.
DebO

[Giveitago]

Deb O,

Natural balance is not a remedial shoe. It is a type of shoeing in it's own right.

I wonder, why do feel you need a toe clip? I dont know anyone in my circle who uses them anymore as they seem to prevent the natural growth and break over of the hoof.

Surely the normal shape of a hoof is that of a barefoot horse, natural Balance and Cyteks seem to try and keep that same shape with the shod horse. Nice, compact, in line with the pastern and so on..

I dont mean to be rude but most toe clipped horses that I've seen have really long, wide feet that tend to have many more problems. The first being the lack of strength in the wall due to the flairing out of the whole hoof- seems to make the horse have bigger feet than is needed or comfortable for work. Others have the hoof wall growing past the toe clips which cant be good for the hoof/foot. I think it's rather like restricting the growth of your own nail, it may damage the quality of nail and IMHO probably hurt if it were me.

However, is it possible that those are farrier faults rather than shoe faults?

What do you think?

[DebO]

Well in my horse's case I suppose it was remedial that it helped him with his stumbling. My farrier wasn't keen on the way it altered the shape of his feet, perhaps because of this way he's built.

Only mentioned the toe clip to try and explain what the foot looked like with a natural balance shoe.

I don't see any reason why a toe clip would cause any problems if the feet are attended to regularly.

I'd love to have my horse completely barefoot but he just couldn't cope without his front shoes, mainly due to his joints and flattish feet. My pony never has shoes on, although if he were to go out and there were a lot of stones about he'd find the nearest grassy bit. Some horses suit it, some don't. Great if you have a horse than can saves an awful lot of money.

DebO

[Giveitago]

Nah, my horse just cant cope without shoes either. It's a real pain!