Farrier

[JosieSmith]

I part-loan an arab who I am going to be taken onto full loan soon. Her current owner sorts out the farrier but the person she uses tends to put the shoes a little back on her hind feet particularly, so her toes hang over the front a bit. Is this normal? She has normal feet, nothing remarkable so she gets normal shoes. Do you think I should try the other yard farrier or is it now normal practice to put the shoes a little back?

 

[Cliqmo]

It is fairly common practise as it means that in the event a horse over-reaches it only strikes the heel of its front foot with it's own hoof, not with metal. It also means there is more shoe at the back of the heel which increases the size of the 'footprint' of the horse and allows them better balance and support. This is particularly beneficial when doing alot of lateral movements or schooling work.

 

[JosieSmith]

Ah, that makes sense, and she doesn't seem off balance or lame or anything like that.

 

[TheFarrier]

Standard shoeing practice for hind feet

 

[Donkeymad]

Perfectly normal and correct