How big should shoes be on a horse's feet?

[Paint it Lucky]

Sorry if this sounds like a numpty question!

I have always just trusted my farriers to do a good job but recently I have changed to a new farrier due to moving yard and he does my horses feet differently. He suggested putting natural balance shoes on my horse as they fit the shape of his feet better, which I don't have a problem with. The way he puts them on is to take off my horses old shoes, then he gets the new shoes, marks them onto the foot (hot shoeing), then nails them on, then trims the edges of my horses hooves, once the shoes are on, he doesn't trim them at all before shoes are put on. Is this normal? Also the shoes always look to me to be a bit small, initially they don't reach the edge of the hoof wall but then the farrier trims the hooves abit so that they sit flush with the shoe. This looks alright on the day but after a week or two my horses hooves start to grow over the edges, aren't you meant to leave a bit of space for the hooves to grow? My farrier seems to want to make my horses feet small and dainty, I always thought it was healthier for the feet to be bigger? Also the heels of the shoe just touch my horses frog, is this right or are they meant to fit round it? (Thought frog was meant to have room to expand?)

Anyway sorry if I'm going on, is this method right? If not should I complain or do you think the farrier is too set in his ways and should I just find a new one instead?

Horse has only been shod by him twice, first time no problems but today he is a bit footy, don't know if it is related or not. Only had this set on two weeks.

 

[Ranyhyn]

I thought you made the shoe fit the hoof to more extent, not the other way round, but I am a total shoeing novice so will move over and let the experts decide!

 

[mole]

sounds an odd method as the hoof is normally trimmed then the shoe set.

cant imagine my farrier sticking a shoe on then trimming the hoof

how many other liveries does this farrier do? does he do them all the same or just natural balance ones like it?

at the end of the day if you're not happy i'd change farriers

 

[Chico Mio]

Hmm, my natural balance shoes used to be fitted by a competent farrier and yes, they do make their feet look small and dainty. But my guy used to do it like this:

http://www.hopeforsoundness.com/natbalance/nbshoe.html

 

[TheFarrier]

Pictures please.

natural balance is done differently but this doesnt sound quite right. cant really comment from description alone i prefer to at least see pictures since i can see the horse

 

[welshied]

I wondered whether shoes should touch the frog as my horses do and i always wondered whether they were too smalll

 

[Paint it Lucky]

I don't have any pictures now but will try to take some tomorrow. Chicomio they do look a lot like the ones in those pictures though. Seen from the side his feet look anit like he is wearng clogs as the shoes are quite under the foot. It is hard to explain, I will have to get some pictures!

 

[Chico Mio]

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I wondered whether shoes should touch the frog as my horses do and i always wondered whether they were too smalll

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They do get very close - at least they should do. I was annoyed because my latest farrier hasn't set them back far enough.

 

[Chico Mio]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't have any pictures now but will try to take some tomorrow. Chicomio they do look a lot like the ones in those pictures though. Seen from the side his feet look anit like he is wearng clogs as the shoes are quite under the foot. It is hard to explain, I will have to get some pictures!

[/ QUOTE ]

They should be back under the front of the hoof and they also appear to be 'short' at the heels compared to a lot of other shoes I have seen. Is your guy shaping the toe of the hoof down onto the front of the shoe and removing the flare (Fig 10 on that page) as this is perfectly normal for NB shoes once they are fitted.

 

[Paint it Lucky]

Yes that sounds about right. Thanks ChicoMio.