Heart Bar Shoes

My horse (TB) has heart bars on, the reasoning behind them is to lift the heel and distirbute the weight over the whole foot rather than just around the edge.

They are more expensive but definatly worth trying. My boy wears them all the time as he is eventing and loads his weight through the inside of his feet which can lead to bruising and strains.

I believe (but please dont quote me on it) but sometimes you can get away with them just having them on a few times before being shod with normal shoes again. I guess it depends on the resoning behind him having them on in the first place.

Hope this helps, im sure there will be websites out there which will explain in detail
 
I had heartbars on my mare for a short time after mild laminitis. I didn't like the changes they created in her foot and subsequently went barefoot with her, which she still is to this day.
 
Thanks all

She has had laminitis and also has cushings. She has been shod regularly for the past 10 years or so (was barefoot before) but as she is flat footed and used to been shod the vet has suggested them been put on
 
Dont get me wrong I am all for barefoot, but I do think maybe posters should get the whole story before jumping in and saying 'take the horse barefoot'.

Laminitis and Cushings may mean that the horse could be very sore without support and may not at this point in time be able to go barefoot?

My horse has metabolic issues that arent fully under control and has just had to have front shoes put back on after a spell barefoot. The shoes will come off again when things are more settled.


I do agree that it is not a good idea to rely on remedial shoes and if possible when the horse is more comfortable it may be an idea to look at removing them and letting the feet recover some rather than continuing to shoe with them and missing other problems.

OP hope your horse improves.
 
MyLuckyStar said:
Thanks all

She has had laminitis and also has cushings. She has been shod regularly for the past 10 years or so (was barefoot before) but as she is flat footed and used to been shod the vet has suggested them been put on
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A horse with Cushings often develops laminitis and flat feet but this should resolve once the Cushings is brought under control, providing all other factors are satisfactory.

Peripheral loading of a laminitic foot can have negative consequences. The heart bar is used to 'support'. But as the foot grows the whole lot shifts so is no longer in position. Heart bars also have negative consequences which are rarely adequately explained. Not least is the damage done to the caudal hoof.

I know they are used a lot and I completely understand how emotive this subject is. I do really worry that they are put on without owners being really brought up to speed with all the pros and cons. And that worry is driven by having to deal with hooves having been badly damaged and the owners having had no idea what was going on under the shoe.
 
It's all very well having "anti shoe" attitudes, but sometimes for short term and fitted correctly heartbars/eggbars can be very beneficial for some horses and support areas to make the horse more comfortable. If this is combined with steps to improve the health long term, there is no issues :)

MLS, good luck with it :)
 
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charliejet said:
Dont get me wrong I am all for barefoot, but I do think maybe posters should get the whole story before jumping in and saying 'take the horse barefoot'
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Fair enough when talking normal shoeing, but heart bar shoes cause incredible damage to the feet, often irreparable sadly. The only reason I'd ever support their use is when you have a broken bone in a foot.
 
Fair enough, I admit I know nothing about heart bars :)

If you had to shoe a lami cushings horse for short term support what type of shoe would you use / would be better?
 
Always Henesy said:
I would not touch heart bar shoes.
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What would you suggest as an alternative?

The vet has suggested these as my mare is foot sore due to been so flat footed, she also has little heel on the backs. She has always had 'normal' shoes on but because of the laminitis and Cushing's they've said to get heart bars put on to support her feet
 
charliejet said:
Fair enough, I admit I know nothing about heart bars :)

If you had to shoe a lami cushings horse for short term support what type of shoe would you use / would be better?
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First of all really important to understand what is meant by 'support'. If you ask around you might find you get a lot of answers. I recommend that those answers are then applied to hoof anatomy.

I have yet to find anything that offers better support to a hoof than the ground, but not all ground is created equal. Hooves which are compromised eg laminitic, are best 'supported' by conformable surfaces such as deep shavings beds or pea gravel or similar . Hard, unyielding surfaces such as concrete can be very uncomfortable.

So far the only hoof protection that I am aware of that can in anyway mimic the support offered by conformable ground surfaces is called a 'boot with pads'. Some will argue for hoof wraps, but these can cause problems too and have recently been put into the category of 'shoe'.
 
Heart bar shoes have been fantastic in helping to heal a pedal bone fracture in my boy's foot (he has fronts only) and provide a great level of support to him but I certainly don't intend to keep him on them permanently and agree they are only best used for helping with broken bones in feet.
 
My horse detested the heart bars in front, they made his legs swell and caused lameness. They seem to cause a lot more trauma to the foot when pulled off in the field.
 
What about imprints as an alternative to discuss with the vet and farrier?

I was told to have heart bars by the vet but my farrier has been happy for my mare to stay bare with boots for hacking.
 
Heart bars are a very complex subject. There has been some good insight from some of the posts so far.
This is my take on them, firstly they are only as good as the person applying them. Poorly applied they will agrivate conditions. Next the diagnosis must be very precise and the rationale for there fitting to be watertight. If they are being fitted for non specific heel pain then they could well be putting pressure on the inflamed area and no one will know! except the horse wont improve or will get worse (bursitis or tendon lesions on the deep digital flexor tendon).

Laminitis follows different rules and the application of the heart bars is also never straight forward. Alot depends on the reason for the discomfort and the position of the pedal bone, again poorly applied they will cripple a horse.

As for P3 fractures again before I chose a heart bar there are some positions of the fracture that the heart bar would have no effect and any bar shoe with adequate clips would fix easily. A saggital fracture may well benefit from one.

So as some vet clinics and farriers use them as a cure all then they need to be well skilled in x-ray reading and fitting of the shoes.

Me I rarely use them.

Ps support is what I do for needy friends, it has no place as a descriptive term in farriery. Its a phrase used by people who do not fully understand the purpose of the ancillery features of the shoe.
 
A Guilding said:
Heart bars are a very complex subject. There has been some good insight from some of the posts so far.
This is my take on them, firstly they are only as good as the person applying them. Poorly applied they will agrivate conditions. Next the diagnosis must be very precise and the rationale for there fitting to be watertight. If they are being fitted for non specific heel pain then they could well be putting pressure on the inflamed area and no one will know! except the horse wont improve or will get worse (bursitis or tendon lesions on the deep digital flexor tendon).

Laminitis follows different rules and the application of the heart bars is also never straight forward. Alot depends on the reason for the discomfort and the position of the pedal bone, again poorly applied they will cripple a horse.

As for P3 fractures again before I chose a heart bar there are some positions of the fracture that the heart bar would have no effect and any bar shoe with adequate clips would fix easily. A saggital fracture may well benefit from one.

So as some vet clinics and farriers use them as a cure all then they need to be well skilled in x-ray reading and fitting of the shoes.

Me I rarely use them.

Ps support is what I do for needy friends, it has no place as a descriptive term in farriery. Its a phrase used by people who do not fully understand the purpose of the ancillery features of the shoe.
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Hear hear! :-)
 
Well said A Guilding.
I was advised to use them with box rest on my pony with newly diagnosed equine metabolic syndrome and serious laminitis. She had been lame most of the time for 8 months, and on and off alot before that.
I took the shoes off (she had always been shod) , (dropped soles rotated pedal bone etc) bought a muzzle, turned her out, bought a rasp. That was a year ago. I do her little bit of trimming myself and the only time she has been lame is when the farrier "checked" my work!!! He "tidied her feet" so she was lame for 3 weeks!!
No shoes, ever again for her, and I would never entertain heart bars for any of mine in any instance.
 
JEZA said:
Well said A Guilding.
I was advised to use them with box rest on my pony with newly diagnosed equine metabolic syndrome and serious laminitis. She had been lame most of the time for 8 months, and on and off alot before that.
I took the shoes off (she had always been shod) , (dropped soles rotated pedal bone etc) bought a muzzle, turned her out, bought a rasp. That was a year ago. I do her little bit of trimming myself and the only time she has been lame is when the farrier "checked" my work!!! He "tidied her feet" so she was lame for 3 weeks!!
No shoes, ever again for her, and I would never entertain heart bars for any of mine in any instance.
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I am a farrier!
 
Well i would be going with my truster vets advice over forum advice who haven't seen the horse or know it's history but are just giving knee jerk reactions (with no real back up for it).
 
I think I have a right to question any professional. I am responsible for making ultimate decisions for my horses and the consequences of those decisions. A professional should be willing and able to provide a good and science based (where possible) rationale for their suggestions. I want to fully understand why something is being suggested and any consequences (positive and negative) of that intervention in the short and long term. I also want to know if there are other options. Many problems can be treated many different ways and I like to know my choices not be presented with one standard treatment/intervention.
 
My mare is wearing heart bars at the moment,she suffered a sudden laminitus attack at the beginning of Feb,took a turn for the worse ,was fitted with heart bars.After an initial painful and swollen few days it was very helpful.At this moment she is able to move and turn ok and showing obvious signs that she wants to get out and about.Nice to see! I will take the advice of my great farrier and super vet,they know much more than I do.The cause of the attack? A stupid farmer selling me rich rye grass hayledge..never ever do this!If I have learnt anything it is to feed less "good" feed to a horse and realise they are meant to browse por grazing and always be on the move.
 
EAST KENT said:
A stupid farmer selling me rich rye grass hayledge..never ever do this!If I have learnt anything it is to feed less "good" feed to a horse and realise they are meant to browse por grazing and always be on the move.
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I am sorry your horse has laminitis and I wish him well but you can't blame the farmer, surely. It is up to us owners to be aware of these things, there is no incentive for farmers to grow hay or haylage for laminitics. Fodder is grown to boost nutrient levels for cattle mainly there is no consideration given to sugar levels by most farmers. Haylage can also be too acidic for some horses.

ps. I've got it badly wrong with my pony on a couple of occasions. I try not to blame myself but learn as much as I can to avoid her getting laminitis again.
 
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A Guilding said:
Ps support is what I do for needy friends, it has no place as a descriptive term in farriery. Its a phrase used by people who do not fully understand the purpose of the ancillery features of the shoe.
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Stoppit AG! I can't love a farrier any more than I do you already :D
 
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