How to shoe my horse

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mariaandefe

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Hi all,

Me again… i’m so frustrated at the moment. No vet nor farrier knows how to shoe my horse.

I won’t lie, my horse is very difficult to shoe.

So all farrier friends and anyone that knows hoof anatomy could you please tell me what type of hooves my horse has and how to shoe him. Files are too large to upload, so please message me directly 🙏
Thank you
 
mariaandefe said:
Hi all,

Me again… i’m so frustrated at the moment. No vet nor farrier knows how to shoe my horse.

I won’t lie, my horse is very difficult to shoe.

So all farrier friends and anyone that knows hoof anatomy could you please tell me what type of hooves my horse has and how to shoe him. Files are too large to upload, so please message me directly 🙏
Thank you
Click to expand...
If you screenshot the photos they may be small enough to post.

I usually send them to someone by messenger, then download the sent photos and they are then small enough to post.
 
Found how to do it!
 

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he has no leg problems as of now except an old suspensory injury in his rf. he has scar tissue in lf and now rf too, but he has such a weird hoof anatomy that no one knows how to shoe…
 
He is a tricky one. He seems to be quite toe out from the knee down in front. The hoof looks a bit imbalanced but it may be an optical illusion. I maybe be completely off here but I'd be inclined to offer more medial support with the shoe as in shoeing slightly wider on the inside to take the load a bit more. How far in to the shoeing were those photos? He will flare out the outside probably as seems to load on the inside. Is he sound? Toe out normally coincides with a narrow chest which can be the cause of other full body symptoms. I'd be also be of the mind that 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' though.
 
holeymoley said:
He is a tricky one. He seems to be quite toe out from the knee down in front. The hoof looks a bit imbalanced but it may be an optical illusion. I maybe be completely off here but I'd be inclined to offer more medial support with the shoe as in shoeing slightly wider on the inside to take the load a bit more. How far in to the shoeing were those photos? He will flare out the outside probably as seems to load on the inside. Is he sound? Toe out normally coincides with a narrow chest which can be the cause of other full body symptoms. I'd be also be of the mind that 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' though.
Click to expand...
Yes he is very narrow chested, and he is also toed out. he got shod on wednesday, meaning it’s been 4 days…He’s not sound at the moment as he went lame 2 days after being shod. He’s also in rehab from a suspensory injury atm
 
mariaandefe said:
Yes he is very narrow chested, and he is also toed out. he got shod on wednesday, meaning it’s been 4 days…He’s not sound at the moment as he went lame 2 days after being shod. He’s also in rehab from a suspensory injury atm
Click to expand...
Have a search of Jim Ferrie Spiral shoeing. Do you have a FWCF qualified farrier near you?
 
holeymoley said:
Have a search of Jim Ferrie Spiral shoeing. Do you have a FWCF qualified farrier near you?
Click to expand...
FYI, this op is in Turkey.

mariaandefe said:
He’s not sound at the moment as he went lame 2 days after being shod. He’s also in rehab from a suspensory injury atm
Click to expand...
It could well be something to do with the shoeing but suspensory injury's can reoccur during the rehab. Did you get a scan showing it had fully healed and how long ago was that?
 
nutjob said:
FYI, this op is in Turkey.


It could well be something to do with the shoeing but suspensory injury's can reoccur during the rehab. Did you get a scan showing it had fully healed and how long ago was that?
Click to expand...
Yes it could reoccur, it most likely has because of the awful shoeing. His suspensory injury healed and he had some scar tissue on the ultrasound, but everything was fine, he was trotting soundly until 2 days after being shod. He was trotting soundly until some random point he started going mildly lame
 
Mine has a suspensory injury which got reinjured during rehab. He's been on/off lame for 2 years. It's only mild and sometimes he's sound for months at a time. The injury scans OK but I recently took him to Rossdales and the vet there said that scar tissue can still be affecting him. He had his feet xray'd while he was there. There were no foot balance issues found, they put some supportive shoes on with dental impression material and pads but tbh it hasn't helped.

I agree with the above if you can't get a decent farrier you might be better to try him barefoot.
 
TheMule said:
If you're struggling to get him well shod then the obvious solution would be to have the shoes taken off and manage him unshod
Click to expand...
I’m so highly considering this as I’m just so tired of him going lame after the farrier, I think he’s gone lame about 4 times with this farrier
 
nutjob said:
Mine has a suspensory injury which got reinjured during rehab. He's been on/off lame for 2 years. It's only mild and sometimes he's sound for months at a time. The injury scans OK but I recently took him to Rossdales and the vet there said that scar tissue can still be affecting him. He had his feet xray'd while he was there. There were no foot balance issues found, they put some supportive shoes on with dental impression material and pads but tbh it hasn't helped.

I agree with the above if you can't get a decent farrier you might be better to try him barefoot.
Click to expand...
Im considering having him unshod, however after having thorough convos with chatgpt it thinks that it would cause more issues with his suspensory injury. Again I cannot fully trust chatgpt, tomorrow a new farrier will come and give his opinion on his current shoes and then will call my vet and talk with him about what would be better for my horse
 
Also, I want to point out. He has been in trot work for 1 month, obviously after i felt him go lame I stopped. What baffles me the most is that he was sound and 2 days after the farrier he goes lame. Due to his weird hoof anatomy every farrier says that he needs to be shod every 28-35 days, however because the farriers live either abroad or in different provinces they cannot come so often, they manage to come in the 40-45 interval. However, this time our farrier came only after 60 (!!!) days. I think this also played a big role as his hoof balance changed so much after 60 days
 
To have foot photos that are easy to read, the camera needs to be on the floor. As in, if the phone isn't dirty, then it wasn't low enough! TBF, I have seen a lot worse shod feet.

I had a horse with a front suspensory issue. I did the rehab barefoot and he did so well, I left the shoes off.

I look at the photos and remind myself how different shod hooves can look. I much prefer the barefoot look, with more compact feet that the horse can shape naturally.

I would have a good read up on how to do a transition. It starts even before the shoes are off with correct nutrition and frog health. You can then trim yourself, with steadily increased walking. I would be a little concerned if you didn't have anyone to show you, but there are some good web sites and other threads on here, with photos, showing the changing shape of the foot.

I would also manage the horse as if it were the suspensory again, take him back and lower work. TBF, this would fit in nicely with transitioning, back to short walks and building up from there.
 
Red-1 said:
To have foot photos that are easy to read, the camera needs to be on the floor. As in, if the phone isn't dirty, then it wasn't low enough! TBF, I have seen a lot worse shod feet.

I had a horse with a front suspensory issue. I did the rehab barefoot and he did so well, I left the shoes off.

I look at the photos and remind myself how different shod hooves can look. I much prefer the barefoot look, with more compact feet that the horse can shape naturally.

I would have a good read up on how to do a transition. It starts even before the shoes are off with correct nutrition and frog health. You can then trim yourself, with steadily increased walking. I would be a little concerned if you didn't have anyone to show you, but there are some good web sites and other threads on here, with photos, showing the changing shape of the foot.

I would also manage the horse as if it were the suspensory again, take him back and lower work. TBF, this would fit in nicely with transitioning, back to short walks and building up from there.
Click to expand...
Did barefoot not worsen his suspensory injury?
 
Red-1 said:
I would be a little concerned if you didn't have anyone to show you, but there are some good web sites and other threads on here, with photos, showing the changing shape of the foot.
Click to expand...
If it were me I would try to get a virtual appointment with a good barefoot trimmer*, show them the feet and movement on a video call and then pay for a bit of their time for ongoing support and feedback on your own trimming. Lots of barefoot trimmers are fairly evangelical about it, I'm sure if you try a few there'll be someone who's willing to provide advice. Worth a go anyway.

*or a farrier but I suspect that they will be less willing to do this as they have a formal regulatory body, which might make it harder for them
 
I would discuss with your vet about having the shoes removed and exercising him in hoof boots. I personally cannot see why this should affect the injury (but then I'm not a vet). They can be a bit of a faff to put on every time you ride, but you will see that the hoof will alter and grow in a way to support the horse above. If you buy pads to go inside the boot, then this will be even more comfortable and make the foot work in the way that nature intended. I cannot deny that it sometimes feels like a faff, and the initial expense in buying new boots will be quite high, but then you will not be paying the farrier.

As for trimming - I wonder if there is a vet or farrier who could do this for you, or show you how to keep the hooves neat in between trims.

Get everything you can about barefoot horses, Pete Ramey is a fan of hoof boots, he says to make it comfortable for the horse to walk, some other like to go straight into barefoot with no protection.

When my horse's shoes came off his feet altered a lot and his obvious toe out conformation changed over the months.
 
Orangehorse said:
I would discuss with your vet about having the shoes removed and exercising him in hoof boots. I personally cannot see why this should affect the injury (but then I'm not a vet). They can be a bit of a faff to put on every time you ride, but you will see that the hoof will alter and grow in a way to support the horse above. If you buy pads to go inside the boot, then this will be even more comfortable and make the foot work in the way that nature intended. I cannot deny that it sometimes feels like a faff, and the initial expense in buying new boots will be quite high, but then you will not be paying the farrier.

As for trimming - I wonder if there is a vet or farrier who could do this for you, or show you how to keep the hooves neat in between trims.

Get everything you can about barefoot horses, Pete Ramey is a fan of hoof boots, he says to make it comfortable for the horse to walk, some other like to go straight into barefoot with no protection.

When my horse's shoes came off his feet altered a lot and his obvious toe out conformation changed over the months.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the suggestion!! Everything you said about the hoof boots is not a problem for me, I just want my horse to be healthy and happy. He’s an 120-130 showjumper and he’s not jumped in around 8 months now and it’s just a bit upsetting how someone’s awful work stops a horse from doing what he loves, his muscles have atrophied so much and looking at him makes me sad. I will be talking with my vet and another farrier today we’ll see what we all decide on. Thanks again!
 
mariaandefe said:
Im considering having him unshod, however after having thorough convos with chatgpt it thinks that it would cause more issues with his suspensory injury.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't take too much advice from chatgpt, it told my partner he was the md of a large company when in fact he worked as an engineer there several years ago.

It looks like there are some sort of heel extensions on the shoes which is often recommended for suspensory issues especially PSD to give more support. Suspensory injuries can and do heal without these. It's a balance of what to do. If you've got a good farrier who can trim and balance the feet in line with current xrays and also provide supportive shoes to assist healing of the suspensory then great. Otherwise if the foot is not balanced and the shoeing is causing other issues then it's not helpful. Unless the feet are xray'd you don't know if there is a hoof balance issue. Suspensory injuries need plenty of time so if you were only just starting trotting then there's still quite a long way to go.

The front feet look like they're running forward a bit and the hind legs appear to be camped under which can be from some discomfort. He looks like he would benefit from some time out of shoes, a return to walking only if he is currently lame in trot is what you need to do incase the suspensory injury is at least partly responsible. Realistically he needs a lot more time out of full work and it's a good time to try barefoot with him.
 
I was wondering how long the cycle was and whether this might be part of the issue and from what you say it might well be.

From the photos I don’t think they’re badly shod at all (I was expecting all sorts), does he have leather pads on too?
 
ester said:
I was wondering how long the cycle was and whether this might be part of the issue and from what you say it might well be.

From the photos I don’t think they’re badly shod at all (I was expecting all sorts), does he have leather pads on too?
Click to expand...
This is 4 days after him being shod. Talked with another farrier today, he told me his lf is way too toed out and the leather pad has too much pressure on his frog. he also said that he is walking + trotting on his toes which makes him compensate etc. overall, not a very good job. he has used the same back shoes for 4-5months(!!!). I will now be waiting for the vet to come in 2 weeks and I will have a conversation with him about what would be better for my horse

About the barefoot, the farrier said that due to him being an OTTB his front hooves will end up toeing out even more when barefoot. However, I saw another member on his thread say that barefoot helped her toed out horse be less toed out.

I’m now gathering some info together from the farrier and vet and in the end I will have to make some sort of decision.

He’s also a showjumper that is in high work usually, actively competing etc (before his injury) so how would barefoot affect him and his career?
 
nutjob said:
I wouldn't take too much advice from chatgpt, it told my partner he was the md of a large company when in fact he worked as an engineer there several years ago.

It looks like there are some sort of heel extensions on the shoes which is often recommended for suspensory issues especially PSD to give more support. Suspensory injuries can and do heal without these. It's a balance of what to do. If you've got a good farrier who can trim and balance the feet in line with current xrays and also provide supportive shoes to assist healing of the suspensory then great. Otherwise if the foot is not balanced and the shoeing is causing other issues then it's not helpful. Unless the feet are xray'd you don't know if there is a hoof balance issue. Suspensory injuries need plenty of time so if you were only just starting trotting then there's still quite a long way to go.

The front feet look like they're running forward a bit and the hind legs appear to be camped under which can be from some discomfort. He looks like he would benefit from some time out of shoes, a return to walking only if he is currently lame in trot is what you need to do incase the suspensory injury is at least partly responsible. Realistically he needs a lot more time out of full work and it's a good time to try barefoot with him.

Talked with another farrier today, he told me his lf is way too toed out and the leather pad has too much pressure on his frog. he also said that he is walking + trotting on his toes which makes him compensate etc. overall, not a very good job. he has used the same back shoes for 4-5months(!!!). I will now be waiting for the vet to come in 2 weeks and I will have a conversation with him about what would be better for my horse

About the barefoot, the farrier said that due to him being an OTTB his front hooves will end up toeing out even more when barefoot. However, I saw another member on his thread say that barefoot helped her toed out horse be less toed out.

I’m now gathering some info together from the farrier and vet and in the end I will have to make some sort of decision.

He’s also a showjumper that is in high work usually, actively competing etc (before his injury) so how would barefoot affect him and his career?
Click to expand...
 
nutjob said:
I wouldn't take too much advice from chatgpt, it told my partner he was the md of a large company when in fact he worked as an engineer there several years ago.

It looks like there are some sort of heel extensions on the shoes which is often recommended for suspensory issues especially PSD to give more support. Suspensory injuries can and do heal without these. It's a balance of what to do. If you've got a good farrier who can trim and balance the feet in line with current xrays and also provide supportive shoes to assist healing of the suspensory then great. Otherwise if the foot is not balanced and the shoeing is causing other issues then it's not helpful. Unless the feet are xray'd you don't know if there is a hoof balance issue. Suspensory injuries need plenty of time so if you were only just starting trotting then there's still quite a long way to go.

The front feet look like they're running forward a bit and the hind legs appear to be camped under which can be from some discomfort. He looks like he would benefit from some time out of shoes, a return to walking only if he is currently lame in trot is what you need to do incase the suspensory injury is at least partly responsible. Realistically he needs a lot more time out of full work and it's a good time to try barefoot with him.
Click to expand...
Talked with another farrier today, he told me his lf is way too toed out and the leather pad has too much pressure on his frog. he also said that he is walking + trotting on his toes which makes him compensate etc. overall, not a very good job. he has used the same back shoes for 4-5months(!!!). I will now be waiting for the vet to come in 2 weeks and I will have a conversation with him about what would be better for my horse

About the barefoot, the farrier said that due to him being an OTTB his front hooves will end up toeing out even more when barefoot. However, I saw another member on his thread say that barefoot helped her toed out horse be less toed out.

I’m now gathering some info together from the farrier and vet and in the end I will have to make some sort of decision.

He’s also a showjumper that is in high work usually, actively competing etc (before his injury) so how would barefoot affect him and his career?
 
nutjob said:
ATM he is lame and unfit so these are the priorities to address with what and who you have available in Turkey. You can put the shoes back on again later if you need to.
Click to expand...
The farrier also stated that if i leave him barefoot then he will become even more toed out, because it’s apparently typical for OTTBS. What do you think of this theory?
 
mariaandefe said:
He’s also a showjumper that is in high work usually, actively competing etc (before his injury) so how would barefoot affect him and his career?
Click to expand...
I know nothing about shoeing, so can't help in that regard, but there are a lot of top showjumpers with barefoot horses (as described here, here, here, and here to give a couple examples). Manage it right and it shouldn't affect his work.
 
stangs said:
I know nothing about shoeing, so can't help in that regard, but there are a lot of top showjumpers with barefoot horses (as described here, here, here, and here to give a couple examples). Manage it right and it shouldn't affect his work.
Click to expand...
I completely agree, my horse moves 10 times better when he’s barefoot but my horse is also a complete different breed to the top showjumpers and his hoof anatomy is so difficult. I will still talk to my vet about this when he comes, I’m just frightened that if I do transition him to barefoot he might go even more lame
 
landing toe first usually means heel pain, does he have packing under the leather pads to prevent infection? I wouldn't get too hung up on his breed, most problematic issue with 'classic' TB feet is them having no/very under run heels which don't appear to be his issue.
 
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