Series I, II, III

The following are answers to some of the frequently asked questions regarding the Sigafoos Series™ shoes.

Q. What adhesive should I use to apply the shoe to the hoof?

A. We recommend the use of  EquAcrylic™ which we can supply with our horseshoes. This is a modified acrylic adhesive with a long history of use in the equine industry. It should be completely mixed according to the directions. Note: We do not recommend the use of urethane based hoof repair materials to apply our shoes. While urethanes work well in some applications, their rapid set time makes them unsuitable for our systems.

Q. How much adhesive does it take to glue on one shoe?

A. 50-75cc (1.5–2.5 oz.) total mixed volume. Our Sound Horse foil packs contain 2 inner bags of 90cc (3 oz.) of “glue” per shoe.

 FAQ - Series I, II, III™Q. How long can I work with the adhesive before it starts to set?

A. The adhesive set time depends on the ambient temperature. In general there is a 3-5 minute working time with the adhesive at 70°F. Higher
temperatures shorten the working time and lower temperatures extend the working time. We supply the adhesive in a sealed foil pack with two inner bi-component poly packs to allow long shelf life and ease heating and cooling to vary working times.

Q. Does the adhesive come with the shoes?

A. You can purchase a Sigafoos Series I™  shoe kit with or without the adhesives. We can also supply black pigments to add to the adhesive.

Q. What is in the Series I shoe kit?

FAQ - Series I, II, III™A. The Sigafoos Series I™ shoe kit contains a pair of shoes pre-assembled with our rim-pad & fabric-cuff assembly, 2 pair of rubber gloves, 2 mixing cups, 4 wooden blades, a roll of cohesive bandage for use as a leg-wrap, an 80 foot roll of stretch wrap and an instruction brochure.

Q. How long do the shoes last?

A. The shoeing frequency is dictated by the growth of the individual horse’s hoof. However, the Sigafoos Series I™ adhesive-bonded shoes will stay attached to the hoof far longer than a conventional nail-on shoe. It is not unusual for owners to leave the shoe on for 6-8 weeks. The shoes will stay on until you choose to remove them. The shoes cannot be reset.

Q. How can a fabric cuff be as strong as nails?

A. The fabric cuff is 2-plies of a braided blend of polyester and Vectran™. Vectran™ is a liquid crystal variant of polyester that possesses remarkable abrasion resistant properties. Vectran™ is used in many rugged applications including bottom-dragging fishing nets. When the Sound Horse cuffs are saturated with an acrylic adhesive it is attached to the outside of the hoof wall and works to hold the shoe in “shear”. Adhesives work best with high surface area of attachment – our Sound Horse Series I, II, III™  “glue-on” attachment delivers twice (2x) the attachment strength of 8 clinched-nails in a perfect hoof.

Q. Does the shoe kit come with directions?

A. Yes! However, if you are unfamiliar with adhesive-bonded (“glue-on”) shoes or the hoof reconstruction process, we recommend that you read the supplementary instructions (suggestions to farriers or “Quick & Easy”), view our training video (on DVD), or call us at the office. Training seminars are periodically held at distributor locations.

Q. Will the horse damage the hoof if the horse overreaches and pulls the shoe?

A. Rarely. The shoe is designed to separate from the fabric and leave the fabric still attached to the hoof to protect the hoof wall from damage. This fabric cuff reinforces the hoof wall. In the worst case, damage to the hoof will be significantly less than what would occur if a horse pulls a nailed-on shoe.

Q. How do I remove the shoes?

A. You can remove the shoes by inserting the blade of a sharp utility knife between the hoof and the shoe, and slitting the fabric from heel to heel. You then peel the fabric off the hoof wall (starting at the heel) using shoe pullers. The fabric easily separates from the adhesive, leaving a thin layer of adhesive on the hoof wall. Care must be taken that the hoof wall is not damaged when removing the fabric. If the hoof wall starts to separate when the fabric is peeled, the fabric should be rasped or sanded off the hoof instead. Adhesive that is well-adhered to the hoof wall need not be removed.

Q. How strong is the urethane rim-pad bonded to the aluminum horseshoe?

A. The urethane bonding process used in the Series I™ shoe is a factory applied, industrial system utilizing an advanced metal-bonding technology. 15+ years of field trials and commercial sales by Sound Horse have proven that the urethane will not separate from the shoe. The photo below shows straightening by cold forming on an anvil. These shoes can be drilled & tapped and cold-worked, shaped and formed utilizing conventional farrier tools.

New Shoe
New Shoe
Cold Worked
Cold Worked

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Q. What does the urethane rim pad do?

A. The integral urethane rim pad is 1/4 –inch thick or about 2x as thick as a normal “pad” used by farriers. The thick, resilient urethane rim pad flexes to absorb up to 50% of the concussive shock the hoof experiences in ground contact. The Sound Horse urethane rim-pad will not take a compression-set and continues to flex and absorb shock throughout the entire shoeing interval.

Q. Are Racing Plates available from Sound Horse?

A. Racing shoes are available in three (3) configurations from Victory: Queens Plate (flush toe), XLT and Outer Rims.

FAQ - Series I, II, III™Q. What Series I™ shoe configurations are available?

A. Sound Horse  stocks a number of shoe shapes in the Series I™ configuration. Our forged shoes are supplied by Victory Racing Plate Company — ELITE in flat, 2° wedge and hind. We also stock Dr. Scott Morrison’s “Roller Motion” shoe in size 4 thru 10. Sound Horse has also recently developed a urethane composite Series I™ shoe for foals, weanlings & ponies (the MC Composite). In addition, we have a new BLACK rim-pad material that is designed to help the seriously sore hoof and horses with laminitis or arthritis

Q. What is the Sound Horse Series II™ configuration?

A. Sound Horse has the patented Series II™ cuff & plate system that allows the farrier to fabricate any configuration shoe without a forge, hammer or anvil. The various configuration plates are 3/16-inch thick aluminum alloy and are cut with a conventional jig or saber-saw. The cut plate is them attached to the cuff assembly with a thermo-plastic bonding system. Series II™ requires a heating oven & press and is best suited for therapeutic applications in clinical situations.

FAQ - Series I, II, III™Q. What is the Series III™ configuration?

A. Sound Horse has also introduced a unique system to allow the farrier or clinician to glue-on any shoe, any shape, any size, any material (steel or aluminum) that they have in their truck or clinic. The new system is the Series III™ “universal glue-on cuff”. The design makes use of the equine industry’s commonly available acrylic adhesives to attach the cuff to the shoe by making use of its reliable metal-to-metal bonding capability. When the shoe and cuff are bonded, the assembly is attached to the hoof in the same fashion as are the <Series I™ shoes. In addition, PLUS PLATES are available to allow the farrier to fabricate any configuration shoe without a forge, hammer or anvil. The various configuration plates are 3/16-inch thick aluminum alloy and are cut with a conventional jig or saber-saw. The cut plate is them attached to the cuff assembly with the Series III™ “universal glue-on cuff” system.

Q. Where can I purchase the Sigafoos Series™ horseshoes?

A. The shoes can be purchased from your local Farrier Distribution or directly from Sound Horse Technologies. We can make the shoes available through your local farrier supply shop. Call us and let us know where you purchase your supplies.