Q) We have a 20 year old TB mare. She had a high bow on her right last winter. The vet recommended a shorter toe. We passed the request along to the farrier. He said there is nothing wrong with her toe but shortened it anyway per vet request. Recently, I noticed a squaring of the toe on her left shoe. Also, there is a lot of wear on the toes of her shoes, especially the right side. I worry that she might be pre-navicular, but the farrier says there is nothing wrong with the wear, its completely normal. We plan to get the vet out soon, but I am curious. Could her problems be due to improper trimming by the farrier? Is it ever normal to have uneven wear on the shoes?

In this edition of "Ask the Expert," Chris Gregory discusses uneven wear on shoes.

Chris Gregory of Heartland Horseshoeing School gives us the answer:

"Uneven wear is not uncommon, and does not mean bad farriery.  Especially when dealing with a horse that has any sort of lameness issues.  If you look at people's shoes, you will see that very few wear them symmetrically, yet that does not mean there is a problem.  You do have to be careful playing the vet against the farrier.  A good farrier will know a lot about what is going on on the bottom of the foot."

See Previous Ask The Expert Q&A's