The Shore hardness is named after Albert Shore and is a measure of the hardness of elastomeres, polymers or rubbers. The Shore hardness is measured with a durometer made of a spring mounted hardened steel rod and is defined as a material's resistance to indentation. The depth of indentation at a defined pressure is the measure of a material's harness and is rated on a scale of 0 Shore (2.5 mm indentation depth) to 100 Shore (0 mm indentation depth). There are several different scales (most common A and D) which differ in terms of the type of durometer used - diameter of the steel rod, profile of the rod tip etc.

Shore hardness is an objective measure of the properties of various materials affixed to the horse's hoof  in the form of shoes, pads and packing material.