The base of the horses foot constantly grows - imagine your toes curled under your foot so that you are walking on your toenails.
In the wild horses obviously aren’t shod but generally they move mostly on softer ground - the hooves wear down at roughly the same rate as the hoof grows.
Deno and Posh, our two older rescues, don’t wear shoes as they only occasionally walk on hard ground but the other two do go out, so to protect their feet they are shod.
If the hoof wears down too much then it exposes the tender part of the foot and can make a horse lame very quickly - it’s easy to imagine how painful it can be for them if you think of sanding off your toe nails then putting your whole weight on the exposed tender skin.
Shoes are also sometimes fitted for remedial purposes. The hoof can sometimes quite naturally get a vertical split in them or become misshapen - special shoes can be fitted to hold them together and help them heal.
Shoes also give horses better grip which makes it safer for the rider. Done by an experienced farrier fitting shoes does not cause the horse any discomfort.
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