Posted by Shelley on July 23, 2003 at 22:01:38:
I have a 5 year old QH gelding that I use for barrel racing. I've owned him since he was 20 months old so I know his history well. He is becoming a very large horse with large feet. His feet are trimmed at regular intervals (6-7 weeks)and are in good condition. The angle of his feet seems to be correct, (no low heels). The question I have is 2 part.
1. The shape of his front feet seems odd. He has a wide base at the heel, but his toes are narrow and pointy. Not your normal rounded "horseshoe" shape. I'm not sure if I've described this clearly, but I would be happy take some pictures and provide them if needed. My farrier says this is just the way his feet grow and shouldn't cause any problems. Should my farrier attempted to slowly correct the shape of his foot to bring it back to a more "normal" shape, thus changing his breakover point?
2. He has flat feet. He's never had any problems with soreness in his soles. Is this something I should be concerned with? Should I put pads on him to protect the soles? The area that we live in is in South Texas, the ground is not rocky, but can get extremely hard during the dry summer months.