So my new farrier comes out tomorrow and charges $20 more for aluminum shoes and I was wondering why that is? Is one better than the other? My horse is a TB hunter jumper. Tell me what you think :)
Unless you have a specific reason for aluminum, the steel is better. It is more rigid, and supplies more support to the hoof wall. The aluminum bends if the horse steps on something, stressing the hoof wall. I used them for an OTTB who had weak, shelly hooves in front. He threw shoes like second graders throw spitballs... and when a steel shoe would come off, so would half his hoof wall. I switched to aluminum; the smaller nails stressed the hoof less, and the light weight put less stress on the nails. He still threw the shoes, but his hoof wall stayed intact - a great improvement. I evented and hunter paced this horse in these shoes. They wore pretty well, and I had them reset many times. I din't use the racing plates (even lighter and thinner), but got regular shoes made from aluminum. However, unless you have a similar hoof problem, I'd stick with steel. Edit: they're more expensive because aluminum costs more, and he can't buy them in bulk because fewer people use them. They're also harder to put on properly, because the aluminum nails bend really easily. They can be harder to shape, again because they bend easily and if you're used to bending steel, you have to develop the touch for it.
Aluminum has no wearability. Steel shoes can be re-set a number of times, which can save you money. If you ride your horse out on trails at all, you'll go through shoes like crazy. Aluminum is such soft metal that it's really not practical for most horses.
Like others have pointed out aluminum are lighter but more expensive and must be replaced more often, but they are also much lighter. When I am seriously competing I put aluminum shoes on my horses just for the summer show season to take advantage of the lighter weight, then back to steel for the rest of the year (and with steel being as durable as it is I can keep the same pair stored away to be put back on in the fall.) It's your call, its not a HUGE difference but it might help him pick his feet up better.
Aluminum shoes are more expensive to buy, thus the increased charge. They are also 10 times LIGHTER than steel shoes, so will be used on horses that tend to have some extra knee action. I show strictly APHA, where they prefer NO knee action. Therefore, I only shoe my horses with aluminum. SO, it depends on if you show hunters or jumpers. Jumpers don't care. You aren't judged on the horse's movement. Hunters are different, and very much stress the importance of a nicely moving horse. You'll only find aluminum shoes on the AQHA jumpers. USEF hunter/jumpers are about 50/50 aluminum and steel.
According to my farrier, aluminum shoes are harder to put on because they are softer than steel and they are easier to damage while shaping them for your horse's foot. He also says that aluminum shoes wear down faster than steel shoes, so if you are working a horse in a highly competitive sport, it's better to put steel shoes on. Most racehorses have aluminum shoes put on simply because they're lighter, but if you don't want to be changing the shoes every two weeks, or can't afford to, then steel shoes are the best way to go.
