My dog doesn't wear shoes, so why do horses?

Before tractors, farmers utilized the power of horses to help them clear the land and plow the fields by pulling heavy wagons and farm implements. A farmer would need to keep as many as six teams of horses for farm labor.

There are more than 300 breeds of horses and ponies around the world! Modern day horses are classified into four different groups based on their size: Miniature horses, ponies, lightweight horses, heavyweight horses.

A horse requires a great deal of time and attention to be cared for. They need proper housing and plenty of room to move and exercise. They also need regular grooming, hoof cleaning, and medical care. Horses also eat and drink a lot every day, so making sure your budget can fit all these requirements is something horse owners have to consider before they become owners.

Horses are herbivores and eat fresh grass, hay (dried grass), barley, oats, flaked corn, dry sugar beets, and hay pellets. As a general rule, horses require about 2 percent of their bodyweight in food. This means a 1,000 pound horse needs 20 pounds of food every day!

A single horse drinks 10-12 gallons of water every day.

While horses spend many hours outside, they need a safe and clean place to go. Horse owners have barns for their horses, which they have to clean out every day, removing the droppings and changing the bedding.

Farriers are professionals that trim horses' hooves. They use tools use are called their tack, and include things like nippers, rasps, and anvils to trim the hooves and shape the shoe.

The kind of equipment you need to ride a horse depends on what the activity is. The most common equipment for general horseback riding consists of a bridle with a bit, and a saddle with the stirrups and girth fitted on. These are all the parts that fit around the horses head and back.

Out west, horses are used on cattle ranches for roping and branding cattle and for carrying cowboys through the rough country to help round up herds of cattle. Horses help police to patrol busy areas in large cities. Horses also provide therapeutic riding for people with disabilities and for people who want to trail ride for pleasure. Lastly, horses are also trained for various competitions and sporting events.

There are nearly 64,000 horse owners in Illinois with around 150,000 horses! Because of that, there are over 25,000 people who work in careers directly connected to horses. The horse industry also adds $2 billion to Illinois' economy every year.

Generally, horses only need to wear shoes in the right circumstances. Some examples of when they would need to wear shoes is when they are traveling long distances, walking on hard roads or rocky trails, and even when competing or racing. Horse shoes increase the support, traction, and protection of the feet and their hooves. Horses spend 80 percent of their lives standing up, so protecting their hooves with shoes is very beneficial in many cases. Shoes can be made of iron, plastic, or aluminum. The type of shoe depends on the type of job the horse is doing.