Toe First

[Jan Palmer]

The owner of the barn where I now board my horse has an older Arabian gelding with those typical good-footed Arabian feet; strong, hard walls (currently barefoot), smooth and shiny, no cracks or chips, tight white line, good cup, frog in decent shape and on the ground, no flares. No evidence of any thrush or WLD. The trim is adequate and fairly balanced (I’d round off and roll the toe more on one of the front’s, if I were to critique it). His heels are not high nor do they appear underun and/or contracted. However, while I haven’t actually measured, both fronts appear to be a bit longer than they are wide and the horse lands noticeably toe first at the walk.

We are both using a new farrier who is young, smart and willing but I don’t think he knows how to “fix” this with farriery or even that a toe first landing is a problem. The farrier stated the horse has “excellent” feet - and really, he does. He did recommend stretching exercises for the stiff, choppy movement and showed the owner how to do them (similar to the tellington-jones thing).

He is turned out in a large, clean paddock (about 1.5 acres) with two other equines during the day (he’s the boss). He has access from his large stall to a private in-out paddock (40’/80’) at night except during extreme cold or bad storms. He is lightly ridden in a sand arena several days a week for an hour or so when it’s not icy.

The horse has always been shod in spring and summer and taken to a few local fun shows and a bit of trail riding. His toe first landing is the worst I have seen. Both the owner and the vet have attributed his stiffness and toe stabbing to “arthritis”, given his age (22) and have him on joint supplements. I think if his foot fall could be corrected, the stiffness would improve.

Is wedging to get a flat or slightly heel first landing recommended? Would a NB shoe with a wedged NB pad be enough? Is a toe first landing always a sign of heel pain or are there a myriad of causes? I realize it is bit difficult to provide advice without photos but any general reply on how to address a noticeable toe first landing with shoeing or trimming and/or padding would be most welcome.

Thanks,
Jan

[Jeanie Connors]

To help answer one question, at least, my observations have shown that a horse who is comfortable on his feet *will* land heel first at a brisk walk. Given that choice, they stop landing toe first within a few strides. :)

[calshoer]

At 22, it is certainly possible the toe first landing is not coming just from the feet.it could be somethign further up.
That said however, if a heel first landing can be achieved, it will indicate more comfort and an improvement in whatever issue is causing the current choppy movement.
A heel first landing is indicative of better comfort, AND is the****utic for the whole horse.
It is very important to make sure the foot is trimmed to correct form BEFORE any shoe is nailed on. Improper heel form (run under, curled, bent or overgrown bars) is a common cause of heel pain and subsequent short stride and toe first landing. If the farrier simply adds NB shoes, (or ANY shoe) and especially if he adds wedge pads to heels and bars that are in poor form, he will exacerbate the problem in the long run. The trim, combined with the correct breakover point, is the largest part of success.

Patty