After putting cytek horseshoes on my horse two years ago, I haven’t looked back – the benefits to my horses comfort level and mental health has just been out of this world. I look on the internet for other like minded people who use cyteks, and all I see is negative forum posts from people, who have heard from someone who heard from someone else, how bad these shoes are. The aim of my blog, is to share a few truths about Cytek shoes – and to give those who are in the process of learning about the shoe, some real experiences to base their decisions on.
If you would like to share your story about cytek – please email me at
cytekrevolution@hotmail.com
Cytek shoes Revolution 
What tonic – it’s fantastic to see such a calm and truthful blog! I hope all who read it respect it and have the nerve to use their own intelligence, common sense and understanding to take on board what is being said and explained.
The principles behind the Cytek shoe are so simple and fundamental to even the most basic understanding of movement and support that I have terrible trouble understanding why so many people don’t understand! It is strange that the vast majority of non-horseowners ‘get it’ instantly whilst the majority of horse-owners (including some vets and farriers) just don’t.
I have spent a long time wondering why this is and have come to a few conclusions so here is a list although it is by no means exhaustive!;
Owners’ Reasons:
1. They do not have even the most basis understanding of anatomy or how anything/anyone moves.
2. They do have an understanding but are scared of going against the majority. I don’t know about anywhere else in the world but here in the UK bullying is not unusual. It is quite common for an owner to come under tremendous pressure from others in a yard, vets, farriers, trainers to change the shoes.
3. The slightest problem with their horses following the first shoeing is blamed on the shoes (this is often related to bullying) and they lose their nerve.
4. They truly believe that traditional shoeing is better because the shoe is ‘made to fit the horse’ – this relates back to no. 1 above.
Farriers’ Reasons:
1. Same as 1. above – here in the UK farrier training is more about making lots of different types of shoes including loads of ‘remedial shoes’ than gaining a thorough knowledge of anatomy.
2. Ditto above. Cytek farriers in the UK are small in number and only a few are prepared to risk loss of business, loss of so called ‘credibility’ amongst their colleagues and hostility from some vets for the good of the horses they shoe.
3. Here in the UK farriery is a very small and exclusive club. Some have made themselves Big Fish in this little club and anything that demonstrates that their careers and the articles they have published have come to nothing is a Bad Thing even if it is what the horse needs.
4. There is a huge amount of money to be made in the industries that surround traditional shoeing – forges, shoes, gas, competitions and events,tools, big shoeing rigs etc… Maybe the Cytek shoe is seen as a threat.
5. The training put in place by the Farriers Registration Council still comes from the standpoint of farriery as a ‘craft’. It is time this view was updated unless one could call chiropody, podiatry or, for that matter dentistry a ‘craft’.
6. Very few farriers attend updating or training days. Most do not want to spend money and take the trouble to attend a course when they could be shoeing and earning money. After all, they spend 5 years learning their craft – what else is there to know?
Vets’ Reasons:
1. Vets in the UK do not spend a large amount of time studying the hoof and tend to pass off many decisions to the farrier who, they believe, knows more than them. It also helps to disperse responsibility when things go wrong.
2. If a vet is making money out of x rays, Isoxuprine, surgery, bute and call outs only the ones with principles will forego this for the sake of the horses they are treating.
3. Ditto 3 above – but a bigger club.
4. Ditto 4 above.
5. Vet training in this respect also badly needs a review.
I am sure there a many more reasons why people just can’t/won’t see the reality but all the time they remain unable to see it horses will continue to suffer.
I’m not a farrier or a vet and don’t now have any horses but I have used the shoes on my horse and I’ve learnt enough not to ever ride a traditionally shod horse again. I hope this blog goes from strength to strength because we need somewhere where common sense and clarity can be found. All the best, Sheila