Natural Balance shoes...

I think a girl on my yard used them on her TB, just on the front feet. They were used to sort out pigeon toes, which had caused arthritis in the fetlock (horse is 16+ years). I think the farrier used them for a year, and she has just gone back to normal shoeing as the foot is corrected as much as possible now. There is still a twist in the leg, but the horse hasn't been lame for the last 6 months, so the owner is very happy with the difference it's made.
 
Patrick has these on his fronts as he was tripping a lot out hacking, it has made a big difference to him but must admit don't know too much about them I just followed my farriers advice.
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Have a look at this link, it will tell explain to you exactly what NB shoeing is and how it works.

http://www.hopeforsoundness.com

If you do decide to use NB shoeing, and it does have an excellent record of success with horses with soundness issues, please please please please please make sure that the farrier you use is properly trained in the techniques, as applying an NB shoe to a traditional trim is pointless. Unfortunately there are people out there that will happily tell you that it doesn't work - well no of course it won't if they don't know what they are doing!
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My boy has just been shod with NB shoes. Hes been diagnosed with tears of his deep digital flexor tendon, and has unbalanced feet. He also has paper thin soles. He will have pads put on next time, and perhaps have the heels raised to relieve pressure on the tendons.
 
My mare has then to speed up the break over when she moves and aviod tripping, it has also helped to balance her feet and hugly improve there shape.
her heels are better and her feet much more 'correct'

i dont think they are right for every horse but i think they are worth a try in many cases
 
Make sure they get put on really really well tho, by a farrier who is trained in them. We had a disaster farrier for a while who just bunged them on on top of a not very balanced foot - once we sent him packing, my brilliant farrier came back (thankfully) and said that they would have done no good at all fitted like that, and he prefers, because he isn't specifically trained in NB shoeing (not against it per se, just not his thing) to adapt a normal shoe to bring the breakover back etc - he uses his travelling forge and flattens the front of a normal shoe, giving her rolled toes, and uses quarter clips.
Disaster farrier said to me he thought she had NB shoes on when he first came - I didn't think she did (certainly hadn't asked for them) but tend to figure that a professional should know better than me, so asked original good farrier about that when he came back - he said they were just normal shoes adapted to suit her!! Methinks disaster farrier shouldn't be fitting NB shoes if he doesn't even know the difference between them and normal shoes that have been worked on by a decent farrier!
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My horse has been having them put on with leather pads after being diagnosed with pedal osteitis in may, touch wood she is now back in work and not been lame since.
 
QR, All I know is that the day after we jumped at Hickstead he was lame in trot. I know I pulled him up sharply after my round (nearly killed the pole picker uppers LOL) and we spent ages trudging around the foul showground looking for my lorry in knee deep, flinty mud on a hill so who knows? I still want to see his MRI scans to make sure though.
My farrier is Dave Howell.
 
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