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Types of Studs:
There are many, many types of horseshoe studs and manufacturers. For ease of selection, we have organized our online store so that you can browse either by manufacturer or by type of stud.
People categorize types of horseshoe studs differently. For ease and simplicity we have categorized the threaded studs in our store as follows:
Road Studs
Road Studs are generally used on hard surfaces, such as roads or very hard ground. They are usually 4 or 6-sided, small and flat in size and blunt. Road Studs can be used on front or back shoes and can be postioned on the inside or the outside of the shoe. Whenever possible, we reccommend using road studs on the inside of the shoe because your horse is less likely to injure himself if he catches the stud on his other leg. This type of stud can be used most of the time, unless the ground is very muddy or slippery. We recommend that beginner users first start out with Road Studs because your horse may move differently. Also young horses and horses who have never been ridden with studs should be started with Road Studs so they can get used to the difference in traction.
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Road Studs
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Some manufacturers offer Ice Studs which are also designed for use on hard surfaces, but generally have a longer, sharper point than Road Studs, to provide traction on slippery surfaces.
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Ice Studs
Grass Studs
Grass Studs come in many different lengths but are always larger and sharper than road studs and generally narrow so they can dig into hard, dry ground. Like any studs that are pointed and sharp, they should only be used on the outside of the shoe, or just on the hind feet. Grass Studs can be 4 or 6 sided. Despite their name, Grass Studs are not meant to be used every time you ride on grass - Road Studs are often perfectly fine. Grass Studs should be used when the ground dries up and gets really hard which will cause your horse to "skate" across the grass. Also they can be used in slick conditions, such as when hard ground becomes wet on the surface from rain. Some Grass Studs are sometimes also known as Bullet Studs because of their shape. Regulation sized Polo Studs also fall into the category of Grass Studs.
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Grass Studs Grass/Polo Studs
Mud Studs
Mud Studs are used on extremely soft or wet riding surfaces where deep traction is needed. They are bigger than Road Studs but often rounded on top and come in several different lengths. Mud Studs can also be square in shape, known as Block Studs. Some Mud Studs are known as Olympic Studs*which are long and sharp and used for extremely slippery ground. It is generallly recommended to use small Mud Studs in the front and slightly longer ones in the hind shoes.
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Mud Studs Mordax Olympic Stud*
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Drive-in Studs
Drive-in Studsare generally fitted by a farrier during shoeing. Like the name suggests, a hole is drilled in the shoe and the stud is driven into the hole prior to nailing the shoe to the hoof. Drive-in Studs remain in place all the time until they are removed. Drive-in studs are generally smaller and smoother than threaded studs and therefore less likely to cause injuries. They are used to provide traction on hard winter ground or for horses doing a lot of roadwork. Sometimes endurance riders favor them also.
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Mustad Drive-in Studs
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* Note, technically an "Olympic Stud" is a particular type of stud manufactured by Mordax. However, it is often used generically to describe studs that are similar to the Mordax stud.
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© Coventree Consulting LLC, 2006