Pianos and hooves

I was recently reading a post on Carolyn Resnick's blog in which she was comparing a horse to a piano:

"A piano is a generic instrument. You can play classical music or jazz on the same piano. The only requirement is that the piano be in tune."

I believe horse hooves are similar. If everything is in balance, you don't need special shoes, pads, or trims to get a horse to give you his best performance. This includes quarter horses, walking horses, and every other breed that many believe need certain types of shoeing to perform.