July 31, 2009 - Shoeing

Question: I am wondering if front shoes only are a viable option for any horse, or a dressage horse in particular, and especially one with back problems that are regularly treated by a chiropractor. I am considering this option, but am worried that it would throw the horse off balance, just as if I were to wear a shoe on one foot and not on the other. The horse, a 16 yo TB, is currently barefoot, but cannot go on the trail barefoot. I have tried boa boots, but he is uncomfortable in them. The horse has had stifle poblems that seem to have largely been reduced while barefoot, so I am reluctant to put shoes on his hind feet.

Front Shoes Only
By
Dave Richards

At first glance this is an easy answer to a very common question: “My horse is going to go in training so he needs front shoes” unfortunately this easy question can have an adverse effect on the future soundness for many horses.

Whether to Shoe Front Feet Only have many ramifications to consider. Let’s start off with the obvious – Wear Protection: this does make sense at first glance - however if the front feet need an orthotic for protection then the hind hooves should have the same advantage. You might think the front feet carry 60 – 70% of the weight - true but the hind feet is where impulsion comes from. I have seen too many horses shod up front and very sore behind. Something to look for is if your horse travels differently on different footings – and if your horse is barefoot behind and there is a difference in movement then hind shoes should be applied. If not a horse starts (learns) to pull it’s self along trying to protect it’s sore hind feet that too is a learned movement and before you know it your horse has long toe low heels up front because of this (learned) movement. Then there will need to be extra effort… in training, trimming and/or shoeing to get the horse to work off his hind feet and address the long toe low heel syndrome.

Anther scenario is Hoof Wall Control: hooves are the foundation of a horse: the old adage, “no hoof no horse” applies to young horses starting out with their respective careers. Because of changing environments or conformational and breading challenges the quality of the hoof walls must be monitored - there is a good chance that the same pathology occurring up front is going on behind, it might not be as obvious, but hoof wall failure is still happening. Check out the hind feet to see if the outside is lower than the inside… if so your horse’s foundation behind is (growing out of balance) and corrective trimming, shoeing or casting needs to be address sooner than later! I have heard it 1,000 times if I have heard it once “your horse needs hoof supplements” but upon closer examination is it only the front feet that are all chipped up, flares and dropped soles? There is mechanical failure as well…. it’s more obvious up front than the hind feet – the fact of the matter is your horse is dealing with biomechanical failure front and hind. Proper trimming an intervention is essential whether going barefoot or shod. That may mean more than a standard trim every 8 weeks! Correcting hoof wall failure on a young horse early is much easier than waiting for chronic lameness, abscesses and lost days of riding. Often casting or shoeing now… putting the hoof in the center of the boney column is easier on younger horses, than when a horse is older.

Lastly Shoeing For Movement: this topic needs to be looked at from a few different perspectives. Namely trimming, casting or shoeing should have the objective to correct conformational, environmental and movement challenges. If the withers are different heights then the weight on all four legs is different. The stress on the medial and lateral walls will also be different AND the length of stride will differ. This can create a horse that becomes one sided: whether he races, jumps, a trail horse or does dressage… judging is based on the summitry of movement.

You may be wondering what’s this have to do with “Front Shoes Only”? Basic Physics! When one side of a hoof is overloaded wall failure is emanate and imbalance will happen. This will cause a hoof to grow away for mid-line which will over stress one side of the hoof wall – subjecting hooves to white line disease, sheared heels, and poor movement. So it’s essential to have the hoof in the center of the boney column and all four feet sharing the load evenly. If you address these imbalances with casting, trimming and or shoeing and monitor your horses feet daily having a horse go barefoot is more likely to be a smooth transition. If your horse competes and wears shoes they are more likely to stay sound longer and have less soundness issues. If some of these challenges are not address - you are more likely going to have to shoe all four feet for lasting soundness.

Choosing the proper shoes might be a topic for anther question. In Closing! Don’t teach your horse bad habits - because he learns to pull himself along because his hind feet hurt. And have you hugged your farrier/trimmer this month?

About David Richards, founder and owner of the ETSS.

I grew up in New Hampshire, the son of a gunsmith. I became involved in shoeing horses after I purchased two draft horses to work with on my sheep farm. As luck would have it, a former shoeing instructor from Michigan State University, Edward Grove, (semi-retired) came over to shoe my draft horses. In talking with him, he was interested in learning how to carve metal and I became fascinated in the art and science of shoeing horses so for the next year or so we exchanged ideas and, ultimately, careers. After working with him and seeing how I could incorporate both my art (engraving, stock-making) and EMT into one career, I knew a change in my career was imminent. Skills that I developed as a stock-maker and engraver helped develop an eye for detail and adding a medical approach for anatomy, the mechanism of movement and physics gave me an eclectic approach to shoeing. After working in NH with farriers, trainers, veterinarians, and attending area clinics for about ten years, I was ready to try the big league and a warmer climate so in the fall of 1989 I moved to Southern Pines, North Carolina. The timing was great and I was very fortunate, working with many upper level riders, coaches, trainers, and horses of all levels - from draft horses to dressage horses, ponies to race horses. I worked with owners that had one horse in their back yard to trainers that may have 30 horses under their control. I was in shoeing heaven. The Southern Pines area with driving, dressage, hunters, and Thoroughbreds is a very diverse horse community and has helped me acquire a very across-the-board knowledge of horses.

Early in 1990 Dr. Fred McCashin of Southern Pines introduced me to casting as a treatment for a severely foundered horse he had at his clinic. After seeing the immediate comfort and remarkable recovery that the cast gave this horse (adding temporary support to the hoof wall) I realized that this may be the answer to hoof wall failure. For the next 15 years I worked to developed Equicast, an equine product and temporary support system to help restore hoof wall integrity and soundness to a failing/failed structure (hoof wall). After working on hundreds, if not maybe thousands (almost as many as Dr. Michael Steward) of cases with farriers, veterinarians, trainers, and owners a product/system has been developed that addresses hoof wall problems. Working with specialists in cloth design and resins, a poly-cloth and resin was developed that can stand up to the environment and to the wear that horses put on their feet.

http://www.equicast.us/