Take a few minutes and discuss the different horseshoe styles that are available. Some horseshoes are made for a specific kind of pitch, flip or turn, while others are more general in nature and may be used successfully for either a flip or a turn. This discussion may help some youth realize that at some point in the future they may want to change to a different shoe style that is more conducive to their individual pitch.
Interestingly, the top horseshoe pitchers can usually pitch most horseshoe styles with high success, which suggests that shoe style is less important the better one becomes at truly mastering the fundamentals of the game.
For youth, proper weight is the key characteristic they should look for in a horseshoe. Too heavy of shoes can wear down a young person very quickly and are particularly harmful for small and first-time pitchers who may fail reach the pit with a heavy shoe and become discouraged. These most sensitive youth should utilize lighter weight horseshoes made specifically for kids, such as the 1.5 lbs “Cadet.” Lighter weight horseshoes help smaller kids to develop proper form when pitching. Shoes that are too heavy can cause poor form that may plague a kid throughout their pitching lifetime.
It would be good to review the materials found in The Right Horseshoes.