Natural balance shoeing

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gillcook

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My mare has been found to have low heels and liphook have advised natural balance shoeing. She has had her first set done at liphook ( set me back £150) Has anyone got there own farrier to do this sucessfully (have used the same chap for 15 years is well respected by local vets etc) or will I need an offical natural balance farrier have been told to look out for people who claim they can do this when they can't. I am in Somerset near Wincanton. Do natural balance farriers cost more than normal???
 
I'm confused - I thought that balance shoes were just thicker without the two 'hooks' at the front and that the toe was cut back shorter? I've had these on Ty for the last 8 weeks and they're amazing - no more tripping!
 
My horse had a set of natural balance shoes on during the summer, as he had crumbly feet and in theory they should have offered his feet more support. My farrier is a "normal" farrier and had never fitted them before, so regular farriers can fit them. However my horse wasnt under a vet and the shoeing wasn't remedial as such. Also the shoes my farrier put on were lost after about 3 weeks, yet I do not know if this is a reflection on the farrier or my horses bad feet!
 
My farrier was based at Liphook(he did the remedial work there for awhile he might still do have not asked him for some time) to do this work and knows most farriers that do natural balance,my cob is on them and he charges £72.00 for a large set ....PM if you need more info and I will give you his mobile as he will help you find a farrier in your area.hope this helps!
 
I think that because the toe is cut back shorter and the trimming is generally a bit different such as they let the frog touch the ground this has the effect of highering the heel, the shoes may not be enough and she may need a wedge. It was good to see the x rays because that showed how if the pedal bone is low at the back instead of being at an angle this affects all of the bones above it. She is certainly standing very different already.
 
The Natural Balance organisation now have a certification scheme in place but at the moment only 4 UK farriers have qualified and all of them are in the Kent / Sussex region. www.e-hoofcare.com

Many farriers have been "unofficially" trained but I would say that you do need to be sure that they know how to properly apply the technique. If you look at the Total Foot Protection website www.tfp.uk.com there is a list of farriers who do NB but to be sure they know what they are doing I would recommend that you ask what courses they have attended.

NB shoes cost only a few pence more per set to buy so there is no reason why you should be charged any more for them. Unfortunately some farriers do hike up the price but (being cynical) I do think alot of them do this to put clients off from having them as they themselves haven't been properly trained in the techique!

I am very lucky that my farrier is one of the 4 with the (highest) Certified Lameness Specialist qualification. It's such a shame that worried owners such as yourself are having are not getting the reasurrance they need because the Farriers Registration Council haven't yet included NB in the curriculum and apprentices are passing out without having had the necessary training.

I hope you find someone in your area with the necessary skills.

Edited to include the website addresses.
 
Our boy has NB shoes and farrier charges the same price as 'normal' shoes (£55 set). He's only had these shoes for about 2 months now, but they do seem to be making a difference. No tripping, no stumbling, no yanking off front shoes and generally lighter on his feet.
 
I echo what Sal has just said.
When Benj was diagnosed with DJD and Navicular Syndrome, NB was recommended. My farrier back then, attempted to do them. He said that he didn't want them on him too long as his feet would split and crumble.
I then changed my farrier after Benj went lame again. He is a highly qualified NB farrier (one of the ones Sal is talking about) and I have not had a single day of unsoundness since using a TRAINED NB farrier!
I would do your research into a farrier who is properly trained. After all, I could 'fit' a shoe, but alot of it is about correct trimming and correct foot balance.

Paula x
 
I am starting to realise it is really down to owners to drive the FRC to give us what we need. Otherwise the "I can do that" farriers will keep getting away with putting the shoes on traditional trims and blaming failure on the NB technique rather than their own ignorance.

Petition anyone?
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Thanks Sally
Have just looked at total foot protection site only to find there is a chap who lives near me on there, He is new to area so a might go and see him to find out what training he has done etc
 
Great stuff! If it helps I believe that Total Foot Protection are the only people in the UK to have run organised "hands-on" NB courses with the inventor / developer, Gene Ovnicek, involved (unfortunately they haven't done any for a couple of years now) so if he's not been to them, any of the Soundfest training in the US, or the ELPO (Equine Lameness Prevention Organision) run courses then his training is going to be errr, more limited than he might like to admit.

Do let us know how you get on please.
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