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New to Shoeing

2K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  Horseman56 
#1 ·
I am new to the prospect of having shoes put on my horse. My previous horses were pleasure horses and had solid feet. My current horse is a Thoroughbred and my farrier has told me he will need shoes next time he's out. As I have never had a horse shod I would like to learn a bit more about the how and why or shoeing. Does anyone know of any good resources for me to have a look at? I have tried a google search and not a whole lot of solid information ahs come up so far. Also do shod horses require different hoof maintence than a bare foot horse once they have their shoes on?
 
#2 ·
As I have never had a horse shod I would like to learn a bit more about the how and why or shoeing.
The "how" would comprise numerous text volumes well beyond the scope of this forum.

The "why" is a bit easier. We shoe horses for specific reasons.


  1. Protection. In this case we're usually dealing with "hoof wear exceeds growth rate". Shoes can also provide protection against trauma associated with terrain.
  2. Traction. The owner may want to increase or decrease traction, depending upon use of the animal. We'll increase traction to enhance rider/horse safety and/or improve performance. We might decrease traction to ease stress on joints or improve the sliding ability of a reining horse in competition.
  3. Therapeutic/correction. Shoes can provide support/protection/stabilization of the hoof capsule and/or soft structures presenting trauma or pathology. Shoes can also address gait faults that are causal in interference.
  4. Altered gait. Not to be confused with altering gait to address interference problems, this category would be shoeing to enhance performance in the show ring. Examples would be big-lick walkers, morgans, standarbreds, hackneys, etc.
Does anyone know of any good resources for me to have a look at?
If you want a broad, detailed resource, I'd recommend...

"Gregory's Textbook of Farriery", Chris Gregory, CJF, FWCF, copyright 2011.

I have tried a google search and not a whole lot of solid information ahs come up so far.
Yep, farriers, as compared to barefoot trimmers, are notoriously poor at contributing content to the internet. That's changing but slowly.

Also do shod horses require different hoof maintence than a bare foot horse once they have their shoes on?
Not really. Clean out the feet as usual and watch for any signs of a loose shoe or indications of problems post shoeing. Your farrier may recommend bell boots to avoid lost shoes. Depends on how your horse moves (close coupled, reached deep, etc).

Typical schedule for a trim/reset is 6 weeks. That may be more frequent than you are accustomed to when keeping a horse barefoot. Your farrier can best advise regarding scheduling your specific horse.

Cheers,
Mark
 
#4 ·
I don't have anything to add about whether your horse needs to be shod or not. However, I did want to add that if your horse has never been shod, then I would work on getting him used to the sounds and especially the hammering on his hoof.
 
#5 ·
My farrier said that Ocean should have shoes as he has a thin hoof wall. Ocean is a thoroughbred and from what I've heard they are not known for their stellar hoof quality. He has had shoes before so the process shouldn't be an issue for him. Thank you horseman56 for responding; I've read a few other threads that you've responded to and you seem like a very knowledgable farrier. I do have one more question for you: I know that without seeing my horse you can't really give me a solid opinion but for the average horse with thin or weak hoofs is it really necessary to shoe? I ride him 5-6 times a week and do some jumping but this is all in a sand arena. He has managed to chip his back hoof between farrier visits (6 week intervals)
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#6 ·
... for the average horse with thin or weak hoofs is it really necessary to shoe? I ride him 5-6 times a week and do some jumping but this is all in a sand arena. He has managed to chip his back hoof between farrier visits (6 week intervals)
I can only provide generalities. Anything more specific would require seeing the horse in person.

In general, thin/weak hooves are more subject to mechanical distortion and breakage at the distal (lower) wall. Keeping such a horse sound and free of distortion/pathology may be more difficult than a horse presenting quality feet.

Does this mean any horse with thin walls needs shoes? Nope. Just suggests that such horses may benefit from shoeing if use/terrain/growth dictate. I've got a few thin walled thoroughbreds on the books that remain barefoot most of the time. These horses spend most of their time on forgiving terrain and get little if any use.

Minor chipping of the distal wall, identified near the end of a six week service cycle does not necessarily justify shoes. Your routine use of the horse is a stronger indicator of any potential need for shoes.

It's important to be able to trust your farrier. If he feels your horse would benefit from shoes, my recommendation would be to follow his counsel.

Cheers,
Mark
 
#7 ·
Thank you for all the information you have provided, I appreciate it. I'll have a more thorough discussion with my farrier when he comes out next. Sounds like shoes are the thing to do though. One last question :) Why do people opt for just front shoes vs a full set?
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#8 ·
Thank you for all the information you have provided, I appreciate it. I'll have a more thorough discussion with my farrier when he comes out next. Sounds like shoes are the thing to do though. One last question :) Why do people opt for just front shoes vs a full set?
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That is a really good question!

In shortest summary, farriers are more likely to shoe only the fronts because for the majority of horses that benefit from shoeing, fronts are all that is needed.

Read on if you want a more detailed explanation.

In my own business, it isn't usually the owner who is opting for a half set. It is more often my own recommendation to the owner.

About 75-80% of the horses I shoe get front shoes only. I think that percentage probably applies to a lot, if not most, farriers.

Here's why.

Horses carry between 60 to 65 percent of their weight on the front feet. That means more wear and greater mechanical force on the fronts than the hinds. This increased wear and load force becomes even greater when we add the weight of a rider and tack.

The horses front limbs are anatomically and functionally different than the hinds. The front limbs are more supportive than anything and basically serve to keep the animals nose out of the dirt. This results in the somewhat rounded or oval shape we see on front feet versus the more pointy shape of the hind feet. That rotational supportive role is responsible for the dorsal/palmar distortion we often see in the feet. The heels tend to drive forward during the landing phase while the toes are stretched forward at breakover. Our "ideal" roundish feet, left unmanaged, soon become elongated or "boxy" as farriers call them.

Front shoes provide protection against distal damage and allow the farrier to better manage any forward running distortion without overly trimming the foot. In other words, we can forge mechanics into the shoe that we can't trim into the foot.

Trimming at the toe basically has to stop (or should) as you near the stratum internum of the hoof wall, well before you reach the whiteline. With a shoe, we can forge breakover far behind the whiteline.

The farrier can also extend caudal support behind the most posterior aspect of the trimmed heel buttress. This means we can use shoes to bring the entire base of support back under the horses limb, improving dorsal/palmar balance and better centering that d/p balance around the COA (center of articulation) of the coffin joint.

The hind limbs are anatomically a reciprocating propulsion mechanism. Horses are rear wheel drive and those pointy feet are designed to dig in and push off. While there is some debate in this area, many farriers (including me) do not believe the horse really "breaks over" at the hind feet. It would be more correct to say they "unload" the hinds rather than the rolling "break over" we see in the supportive fronts. This load/unload stride phase means you are more likely to see medial/lateral distortion of the hind hoof versus the dorsal/palmar distortion common in the fronts. The bulk of that distortion manifests at the heel quarters.

While distortion and distal wall damage certainly does occur in the hinds, it's less of a problem as compared to the fronts. Less weight, less distortion force, less need for shoes.

In layman's terms, the above explains why you see the fronts become long and dishy while the hinds tend to get wide and flared at the heels.

Another factor is sole depth and solar arch or concavity. The hinds will often present greater solar arch than the fronts. Again, this is a consequence of weight distribution (load) and function. That greater solar arch common to the hind feet means less risk of solar trauma (bruising). Less load force means generally better circulation within the vascular bed, particularly under the solar margin of the coffin bone. This yields greater sole tissue depth so more natural protection against trauma.

While shoeing the fronts is most often done to provide protection and mechanical management of distortion, shoeing the hinds is more likely to be done to increase load support, increase/decrease traction or alter gait. Protection can also be a factor (toe draggers, endurance riders, etc) but isn't as likely as other criteria.


Cheers,
Mark
 
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