I have been working as a guide and trail rider all around the world. In 2004, we rode 1400 km from Budapest to Offenburg on Nonius horses with iron horseshoes. The harsh impact on our horses while trotting on asphalt along the Danube bothered me back then. When I got hold of the first plastic horseshoes, I knew I wanted to try them out. It turned out to be a mistake. After just a few kilometers, the shoe without an iron core and without side caps twisted, and we had to re-nail it and secure it with tape. So, we went back to using iron. However, in 2006, when I first got my hands on Duplos, we were thrilled. Finally, a shoe that could be securely attached to the hoof without restricting its movement like an iron shoe. Additionally, it opened up entirely new possibilities for us, such as crossing rock slabs in the high mountains or, as seen here, traversing alpine valleys on iron water pipes. Of course, there were setbacks as well. During one of the rides in 2008, the shoes lasted only 300 km for one of our friends with a Haflinger before wearing out. Hubert Frank from Duplo Germany explained to us over the phone what might have caused it, and from that day on, we purchased the shoes each autumn and nailed them on in the spring. We regularly cover 500 to 800 km with one set of shoes every summer during our 4-5-week rides. In 2018-19, we rode 5000 km along the Continental Divide in the USA, renewing the shoes approximately every 800 km. My Mustang, Deets, weighing 520 kg, covered 1200 km with the HDS shoes. During my alpine crossings with guests, I recommend nailing on Duplos in Extra variant. From my perspective, these shoes act as life insurance for the horses in the mountains and provide riders with a great feeling of security.