Hind wedges

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Equi

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Spoke with ybcm about them a while back but had issues and farrier felt at the time we had to get his hooves sorted first before trying them. We're now ready to try them on the next shoeing in two weeks but I just wanted some stories about them or anything I should look out for?

Reason for them is horses is weak in the hind and quite straight with quite dropped fetlock so he gets tight hamstrings and hasn't got great hock action on the flat (no arthritis just conformation) so both physio and farrier suggested them. I'm just worried about the angle effecting the pedal bone or something leading to navicular?
 
Those that have them (for various reasons) seem to get on with them well or be really uncomfortable from day one. I do think like a lot things they seem to give diminishing returns though, or you have to put bigger wedges on to account for the heel loss that often comes with them.
 
Have used them in the past on my horse (under vet/farrier advice) as he had counter rotated pedal bones in both hind feet. They did help him, and he wore them for about 3yrs until he had a suspensory injury (branch on fetlock not PSD), which was chronic not acute. I think the wedges and too much work on a surface weakened his ligaments. Would I use them again? Possibly, although only short term, but to be honest, the best thing for his feet was not having the back shoes on for a few months while he recovered from the injury. ETA - he has not needed them since that injury, which was in 2008.
 
Original problem was he had no heel from having no shoes. He instantly looked and went better with shoes but had a flare then was incorrectly shod by a farrier that's not my usual one. that's taken a while to correct, but now he has some heel and good feet. Why do they tend to get lower heels when they have them on?

He's 18 by the way. We do hacking and flat work with a few 50/60 thrown in.
 
Would doing only a few rounds of them a few times a year then back to normal work or do they have to stay on ?
 
one of mine has them and he is 100% more comfortable in them. He went to a horspital and the recommend them because of his conformation. He tiptoed about on them for the first hack, but now he is a lot happier in them and he seems to like the extra cushioning.
 
realistically I think they need to stay on, but some get a good few years out of them being more comfortable in them.

they were discussed for frank as he had reverse rotated pedal bones but the vet said no because of the heel crushing issue.
 
I have seen wedges give good results for horses with sore backs whose collapsed heels are caused by the sore back/leg tendons/ligaments and not the other way around.

I would never put them on the front. I think they work entirely differently on the back where the horse carries much less weight into the heel.

I would use them for a few months, reduce the height by half for a month, then try without them and see how things go. I believe that removing them in one go is asking for tendon stains..
 
They are either created with plastic inserts, or they are shoes made thicker at the back. Shoes are easier to fit properly, but heavy, of course. I think I would, if your farrier is good enough, use plastic inserts so you can easily reduce the wedge thickness and see what happens.

Will you keep us updated?
 
My mare has been in them for almost 4 shoeings now, they've made a HUGE difference! She had stifle problems which we couldnt really get to the bottom of (shes 6) so we Xrayed her from head to foot and turns out it was actually her feet, pedal bone dropped slightly,worse on LH. She is now walking downhill alot happier and quicker, no napping when jumping an much stronger behind. (like yours she is very upright)
Im thinking of swapping to a heart bar shoe as concerned that the wedges will collapse the heels and its not a long term solution.
 
My youngster has them on the hinds. She started to get a bit reluctant to go forward, so whipped her off to the vets, nerve blocks showed discomfort in her hinds ( she had been tripping behind too). X rays showed slight reverse rotation. Since having the wedges on she is back to normal. As she is 5 the vet is hopeful that after a few shoeings they can come off. Shes due her third set on, so will get her xrayed again soon.

So far they seem to have worked, but will know for sure in a coupe of weeks
 
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