Help with Arab dressage movement

[KBarRFarrierService]

Hello all- This new way is hard to get used to, but here goes. We've been doing Arab show horses lately. One is a dressage horse. The owner (pro trainer) was told that due to his very slightly weak hocks, he should be shod in a bar shoe behind, to be able to go top level. The horse is on every supplement/additive it needs, gets chiro work, fed well, and has very good hooves. He is 15.2h 10yrs. The owner is very knowledgeable, and respects the person giving the advice. The owner was leery, and so were we. The other suggestion was a wedge behind, which the owner felt more comfortable with, as did we. So we put on a 3* wedge, and she seems to like the result. Does this sound normal to any of you. We usually shoe more for soundness than movement, so it's new to us. Thanks and sorry it's so long.

[danverschild]

If he's working in soft or deep footing, the bar shoe may help by providing floatation--keeping him on top and not making him use the full range of closing those hocks. Using a wider webbed shoe will give you a similar result, but not as aggressively.

The footing that he's worked in will make lots of differences. Also, I've found that using a plain-stamped shoe often helps on these horses. Basically, you're trying to play with how much you can minimize traction and facilitate turnover to make him comfortable but not artificial.

A lot of times, I find that these horses will have a wear pattern where they're breaking over on the medial toe of one hind (as they try to get off of it quickly and not close the joint) and a lot of wear on the lateral quarter of the opposite hind (as they're driving it deeper to--and often past--the mid-line to carry weight and gain suspension). Rather than fighting those wear patterns, I try to facilitate them.

Ultimately, though, it takes a really good rider and some time to move a horse up a level and keep him off his forehand when his ***-end hurts, and there's only so much that you can be expected to do.

[shoesofiron]

and if that 3 degree wedge is an aluminum, you're "sticking" the horse more than if it were steel.
Personally, I would opt for the plain stamped bar or conservative eggbar.