Posted by Gary on July 27, 2003 at 00:43:10:
In Reply to: Re: Odd shaped feet (long, sorry) posted by Shelley on July 26, 2003 at 22:23:27:
: : : : : : 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.
: : : : : Wise old saying: "If it ain't broke don't fix it!" Trust your farrier and his opinion. Is he lame on this hard ground? If so just put wider web shoes on instead of pads, because pads will make his feet sweat, and only make his soles softer, then you will have troubles.I answered your questions out of order,his breakover can be taken care of by making sure the foot is shod to the pillars and the breakover is straight ahead. I use St. Croix XtraEz's and shape them like the NBS shoe. Good Luck! Gary
: : : : Thank you for the reply. He's only gotten sore one time. It was only a slight soreness, no limping or refusing in the alley (barrel horse). The only reason I knew he was sore was he wasn't working as well and didn't want to get in the ground. I took him to the vet and had him flex tested and x rayed which showed nothing. The vet has a scanner that showed heat in his back feet. I layed him off for 3 weeks and put pads on him for 6 weeks and that cured him. I see what you mean about the pads, because when we reset him his soles were very soft. Other than that he's had no problems.
: : : I would add this to Gary's good advise.......Try using St Croix Eventers instead of the Xtra EZ's. They are the same width and will reduce the breakover by virtue of how they are made although your farrier my need to alter the position as well for optimum breakover. The eventers will offer better traction especially if you are running barrels.
: : : Derin
: : Derin, you are right about the Eventers, I didn't know the horse was a barrel horse. Good point! Thanks, Gary
: Thanks guys for the advise. There's a farrier supply store close to me I'll stop by and see if they have them. Next question is how do I suggest this to my farrier without insulting him? :-)
NO offense to you and all the barrel racers out there but you Ladies always change shoes on your barrel horses like ya'll change shoes everyday. So believe me your farrier is used to this , your the one writing the check and he should go along with this idea without it being a problem! Good Luck! Gary