Shoeing - changing the shape of the foot with different shoes

Goldenstar said:
If you shoe with shoes that are too short the heel is left out behind the shoe and the break over moves forward the shoe obviously hits the ground leaving the heels functioning much less than they would that what causes the lack of heel support in fact it's the tendons and ligaments of the limb that are lacking the support .
I paid the same for NB shoes as I did for normal shoes so no cost advantage for the farrier here .
Personally from the pictures ( which are not great ) I don't think the shoes are producing a problem .
And it has to be said the best equine athletes in the world are managing to perform shod .
I have only seen wedged shoe used to raise a heel to keep pressure off a damaged limb where a horse has broken down .
Click to expand...
http://rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/dillon-with-wedges-and-more-from-h.html

OK, that is clear, I have only worked with world class farriers [by accident more than design], and when I was a rookie I knew nothing anyway, in fact I still know nothing, except a good farrier is to be nurtured, and a bad farrier rejected. The thing is I know how to tell :). I had one world class farrier shoe my boy once, but never again, I was not happy [NB shoes, front bare behind]
Obviously that was before I became a barefoot convert.
 
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I'd say that she is just wearing her toes to where they need to me. If you continue in a straight line to where a "normal" shoe would end would result in a long toe.

One she has been re-trimmed and shod the "squaring off" won't look so dramatic, and probably wont result in further shortening of the toe over the next cycle.
 
NB shoes by design are fitted further back at the toe, to enable easier breakover and support the foot with a wider web than concave. The squared toes are part of the fitting process. Do some research. I find it peculiar why on earth this conversation is taking place here and not directly with your farrier I am sure he/she wont bite. As long as the feet are balanced and level these shoes are an asset.

NB is not a new concept, That type of shoe was first used in the late 1800s and came back into use in the early 90s.
 
In the first picture with the old shoes on there is some wear to the toe although the shoes have stopped them wearing very much.
If the toes keep squaring off over other shoeing cycles after the farrier has attempted to shorten them I would be suspecting a physical problem in the horse, potentially in the hocks causing her to drag her toes. Vettings don't always pick up everything.
 
Gloi said:
In the first picture with the old shoes on there is some wear to the toe although the shoes have stopped them wearing very much.
If the toes keep squaring off over other shoeing cycles after the farrier has attempted to shorten them I would be suspecting a physical problem in the horse, potentially in the hocks causing her to drag her toes. Vettings don't always pick up everything.
Click to expand...

I would agree with this especially if the issue is bilateral and the horse has been in light work a change of home and work load might cause a issue to get worse .
That's why I asked if the horse has been flex tested recently .
 
I can't see the pics (I'm at work - don't tell anyone!) but just wanted to say that I have a barefoot Arab x at home whose back feet always look like that. He squares his toes off in training. He has been poked, prodded, flex tested, ultrasounded and x rayed to hell and back and we can't find anything. In addition, as he is a qualified endurance horse who just finished his first 160km ride he has been trotted out about 20 times this year after varying amounts of work for about 8 different experienced horse vets and has never once been lame.
So it doesn't necessarily mean that there is a physical problem there. I would be waiting to see what the hoof looks like at the next shoeing as I suspect the toe has "self shortened" and the farrier will be able to take the rest of the foot back a bit more next time to make it look more "normal".
 
I'm a bit confused too Evenworld.

Hoofheartedhere - I have been in discussion with my farrier about the situation who assured me the shoes were the right thing for the horse. I want to know all the facts and not just one person's experience i.e the farrier because he COULD be wrong. As it turns out, the farrier has been (on Friday) and we talked at length about her feet. She is now back in normal toe clips in front and wide webbed hinds. He said he used the quarter clips in front and NB's behind because he wanted to bring her toes back which he has done. He is pleased with her feet now and yes they look far better.

However, there is something wrong with this horse which is why she is dragging her hind feet and stumbling behind. I need to find out what the problem is and why its happening so we can mend it. If the shoes were to blame then I wanted to know then and I didn't want to accuse my farrier of anything before i had all the facts. Luckily he and I get along very well so he was not upset when I questioned him at length about the NB's and he himself said "yes I could have missed something, I could be wrong… but I don't think I am"!!

One thing I will say is that it doesn't matter how many qualifications a vet or farrier etc has - you are the one who rides your horse and looks after it every day so will notice more things about it. They aren't going to know every minute detail unless you tell them. If you don't trust what you are told then you shouldn't go along with it and you should get a second opinion and ask other people's experience. This will strike a chord with many people esp. the barefoot converts. How many of you have been told by your vet that your horse won't cope without shoes etc? I very much lost faith in professionals with my old vet who said my old horse needed wedged heart bars and they absolutely crippled her. Luckily I have a new vet who I do have faith in and hopefully we will get to the bottom of this. I was looking at the obvious things - things that had changed since she arrived and since she'd had her 5 stage, the most glaring of which was the change in her shoes.

Onwards and upwards - looking like a stifle injury now… RUBBISH!!!
 
That is rubbish.
I hope you get to the bottom of the issue quickly .
One thing to try lunge the horse on a small circle on the hard both ways get a friend to film it if poss.
Then work the horse fairly hard get off and tie it up and make it stand still for ten minutes .
Repeat the lunging again with filming .
This can be a cheap and very telling way of showing up an issue .
 
Yes it is pretty rubbish because she's such a lovely horse who I think is pretty perfect for what I want to do and I was so excited about hunting her. Fingers crossed whatever this is isn't dreadful. Luckily she is insured so hopefully we will find out what it is and get it sorted.
 
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