Information regarding aluminum shoeing practices and benefits is highly limited, but the research nevertheless presents an interesting and highly specific application for the type of shoe in question. In combination with other research, this study could be used to show the broader medical advantages of aluminum shoes.
Huguet, E. & Duberstein, K. (2012). Effects of Steel and Aluminum Shoes on Forelimb Kinematics in Stock-Type Horses as Measured at the Trot. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 10 February.
This experimental research article provides the results and analysis of a direct experimental comparison between steel and aluminum horseshoes in terms of how the horses leg and specifically the horses knees move when wearing different types of shoes. The results give clear indicators for which types of performance or typical functions are best accomplished with aluminum shoes, going into a fair amount of technical detail in making this assessment. Generally speaking, a larger carpal angle and an evident relieving of tension was observed in horses with aluminum rather than steel shoes, suggesting many different...
This source provides very specific information that can be directly used in answering the research question.
Koepsich, W. (1996). Using Aluminum Shoes on Quarter Horses. Anvil Magazine. Accessed 22 March 2012. http://www.anvilmag.com/farrier/usalsonq.html Perhaps the most directly and entirely on point of the resources selected, this article has a slight failing in that it does not provide direct research data in coming to the conclusions that are drawn. This is not to say that the data does not exist, and the author has been a researcher and practitioner in the field for many years and was a pioneer in the use of aluminum horseshoes (at least in the United States), however he does not present direct research results here. Instead, a brief history and extensive overview of the use of aluminum horseshoes is provided in this article, with a great deal of specific information. More research will be required to substantiate this research, but the claims provide excellent grounds for investigation and the building of a more detailed research question.
