Abstract: A kit which can be used to form a horseshoe, which can be assembled by a farrier in the field, and which can be applied to a horse using adhesives. Specifically, a kit is provided including a rigid cast polymeric sole or a horseshoe, and a rigid planar member for attachment to the sole. A hoof contacting layer (cuff) including a skirt extending therefrom is also provided. The sole, planar member, and hoof contacting layer all include a heat activated thermoplastic urethane adhesive. The kit can also include layers of shock-attenuating material also coated with the adhesive. Such shock-attenuating material may be wedge shaped. Alternatively, additional layers of rigid wedge-shaped material may be added as necessary to produce a shoe with the desired shape. Since the adhesive is heat activated thermoplastic urethane adhesive, a farrier can heat the layers in the field to activate the adhesive and glue the shoe together.

Abstract: A protective covering for a horse's hoof which comprises a horseshoe having convex and concave edges and a skirt embedded in a polymeric resin bonded to the horseshoe and extending beyond the convex edge of the horseshoe. The skirt may be made from any suitable flexible sheet material including a polymeric fiber fabric, a molded thermoplastic sheet material, or a laminate of molded thermoplastic sheet material and polymeric fiber fabric. When the shoe is fitted to the horse's hoof, the skirt extends up over the outside of the hoof. The protective covering is secured to the hoof using an acrylic structural adhesive both between the hoof and the shoe and between the skirt and the outside of the hoof. The skirt is preferably a thermoplastic acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene. The polymeric resin is preferably polyurethane.

Abstract: A protective covering for a horse's hoof is provided which comprises a horseshoe having convex and concave edges and a polymeric fiber fabric embedded in a polymeric resin bonded to the horseshoe. The fabric extends beyond the convex edge of the horseshoe. When the shoe is fitted to the horse's hoof, the fabric extends up over the outside of the hoof. The protective covering is secured to the hoof using an acrylic structural adhesive both between the hoof and the shoe and between the polymeric fiber fabric and the outside of the hoof. The polymeric fiber fabric is preferably a polyolefin, and particularly preferred is woven polyethylene. The polymeric resin is preferably polyurethane.