equipac level on sole?

[shoulderin]

My horse has equipac filled in the space between his
sole and the horse shoe - when you look at the bottom
of the foot the equipac material does not form a flat
surface that is parrallel to the ground - it is uneven -\
it was filled in with a tube and it sort of puddled up -
makes the ground surface uneven. At first I thought -
oh well - it is not touching the ground due to the shoe
lifting it off the ground somewhat - but on soft ground
the ground moves up to fill the space and it does touch
the ground - It makes my horse move in the paddock
and on the trial a little ouchy - like the uneven sole bottom
bothers him a tad (not a lot). IN the even surface of an
arena he is fine and on concrete fine - but uneven dirt
I can tell the difference --

Should the equipac be applied so that it is extremely
smooth and flat ?
Any why would my farrier not do it this way if that
is supposed to be the way - (becuase he does not know
how to apply equipac maybe?) I know I should have
mentioned this to him - but I had already argued gently
to make him move breakover back and about the toe
clips - so I just let the equipac issue drop - afraid he
would throw down his tools and leave if I brought up
another issue - also maybe it is not an issue since
the material itself is fairly soft. could the uneven equipac
make the horse sore?

[Donnie Walker]

Generally speaking equi-pak is more forgiving than equi-build and should not cause a problem, unless the sole is unusually sensitive prior to application. In cases such as this it is recommended that the sole be allowed to harden before application. Ideally the product should be applied in a manner that achieves a level pattern in the concavity of the foot. It is normally applied underneath a pad that is placed on top of the shoe which creates a flat, uniform surface during application. If it was applied to an open foot it is very difficult to get it totally flat. Hopefully your horse was cooperative during the procedure. It can be either level with the ground bearing surface of the shoe or not. The sensitivity exhibited by your horse could be a result of improper application or possibly a tender sole that is only aggravated on the uneven surfaces you speak of. Try testing with hoof testers, if available, to see if you can isolate the problem area. I wouldn't hesitate to contact the farrier for help in this matter.