Eventers = Heel Soreness?

[Auventera]

I was just reading the thread in F helping F about Eventers causing heel soreness, but since I can't post there, had to start a new thread. You guys got me thinking....:eek:

A few years ago my Appendix mare had Eventers on front and back and I was doing a fair amount of mileage - probably 30 miles a week or so. After a few months she got so flippin' sore she couldn't go. She was toe stabbing, very stiff in the hocks and would not weight the heels at all. At that time I didn't know enough about shoes to make any educated decisions. Farrier said this mare just couldn't wear shoes and it was the concussion she was reacting badly to given our working surface and all that. Vet diagnosed a small amount of high ringbone but said it wasn't a factor. No calcifications on articular surfaces were found. Navicular fine. No one put testers on her, just pulled the shoes and said go barefoot. Got 3 months off, then went to boots, more blah blah....

We were on was stone dust, grass, and dirt, very flat, no rocks/hills. Mare is heavy, but had a decent round foot with healthy frogs and digital cushion. Size 1 foot. Walls were pretty thin though and prone to breaking. After shoes were pulled things got really ugly, but that's a different story. Anyway - doing great now without shoes, but took a while to get here.

In looking at them, they look short shod with under run heels. I think he fit them so close to prevent pulling shoes. She has a fast trot with HUGE stride. And gotta give him credit, these heels are much improved from what they were. She had been neglected previously and the feet were plain hideous. I think he's a great farrier, so I'm not interested in any farrier bashing. I'm just curious about the Eventers and heel soreness bit.

I wanted to start the thread because today is the first time I've ever heard that Eventers could cause heel soreness, particularly in distance horses. Just wanted to throw my personal experience out there and was just curious what would you guys have tried differently? It's a boring Wednesday morning. :)

[temposmom]

My CJF won't use them on endurance horses. He personally doesn't like how the very ends of the heel get narrow and feels they lose some support. Just HIS personal feeling on it and prefers a wider heel. I know this isn't any "proven" research help, just a passed along "personal preference". ;)

[Peggy Dolan]

I use eventers, don't shoe any endurance horses though. You can always forge into the heels some support. I've got an odd, unexplainable habit of not using the same style of shoe more than two or three cycles. Guess it comes from all my years of working retail, and the belief that you should not wear the same shoes day after day....

[SharaNihan]

Guess it comes from all my years of working retail, and the belief that you should not wear the same shoes day after day....

That was probably before...
http://www.hegemonyrules.net/images/crocs.JPG

:p

[PerformanceHorseshoeing]

I have a pair of those in Mossy Oak camo:)

[Auventera]

Nick,

Are you SURE yours aren't pink???? ;)

[George Geist]

Vickey,
I never found them to cause heel soreness any more than any other type of shoe. Were you using them as they were or did you have studs in them?

If my memory is working right I think maybe it might have been Jaye Perry who mentioned heel soreness on a different thread but he may have been talking about XC or Grand Prix horses not sure.
George

[Dave Whitaker]

I wanted to start the thread because today is the first time I've ever heard that Eventers could cause heel soreness

That's absolute bunk! Any poor fitting, inappropriate shoe will cause you problems, be it sore heels, etc. The shoe itself can do nothing, pro or con ,until it's use has received a human influence. It's like saying guns kill people..... a loaded revolver can remain pointed at your head the rest of your life.....but until someone pulls the trigger, you are going to be just fine....a little nervous, maybe.

I stock/use many types of shoes and have used thousands of pairs of St. Croix Eventers with not one shoe "causing" sore heels. Fit properly, sized correctly, and chosen for an appropriate use, they serve me just fine. They are not one of my weapons of choice for a horse that needs heel support/correction to begin with. JMO.

Dave

[Auventera]

Dave - obviously the shoe can't cause pain to a horse when it's sittin' in the box. ;) I was referring to Eventers on DISTANCE horses. Lots of miles at the trot and canter. I'm not saying they "do" cause anything. Was just curious, given the pain my mare had, then what I read on that other thread this morning. That's all.

[Dave Whitaker]

I was referring to Eventers on DISTANCE horses. Lots of miles at the trot and canter. I'm not saying they "do" cause anything. .

Ahh..but that's what your original post said..... horse sore in heels, eventers removed, horse fine in heels....eventually..sounds like her heels were in pretty tough shape to begin with...

I would think that it would depend greatly on how your Mare was trimmed, where the heels were, what kind of shape they were in, and if the shoes were the proper size and shaped/fitted correctly. I think you alluded to the fact that you thought they might have been fitted tight to keep her from yanking them. That will sore heels up in no time, especially under the stress of distance work.

I shoe an Arab that has won the Green Mountain 100 twice. Both times, he was shod in ALUMINUM eventers. Granted, the shoes were junk after, and he has the typically good Arab feet.

So, my answer is still, no, not the shoes....


Dave

[PerformanceHorseshoeing]

Nick,

Are you SURE yours aren't pink????


I only take those out on the weekends.:o

[Jason Maki]

:Nick,
Do you spend a lot of time studying the tops of your pink "slippers"while wearing them on the weekends ?:rolleyes:"When I wear my crocs, I'll wear nothing else...!
Jason

[PerformanceHorseshoeing]

Of course. Hey they are comfortable as all hell:cool:

[Auventera]

Ahh..but that's what your original post said..... horse sore in heels, eventers removed, horse fine in heels....eventually..sounds like her heels were in pretty tough shape to begin with...

I would think that it would depend greatly on how your Mare was trimmed, where the heels were, what kind of shape they were in, and if the shoes were the proper size and shaped/fitted correctly. I think you alluded to the fact that you thought they might have been fitted tight to keep her from yanking them. That will sore heels up in no time, especially under the stress of distance work.

I shoe an Arab that has won the Green Mountain 100 twice. Both times, he was shod in ALUMINUM eventers. Granted, the shoes were junk after, and he has the typically good Arab feet.

So, my answer is still, no, not the shoes....


Dave

Thanks for the info Dave. I really wasn't trying to "say" anything. Honest. Was just inquiring. :p You're right - could have been any reason. I just wanted to throw it out there for comment after reading the reference to the shoes on another thread in F Helping F.

[Rick Burten]

I'v never had a problem with the Eventers. And, though the heel is somewhat more penciled than other brands/styles, so long as it correctly fits and covers the heels, it should never be the cause of a problem.

In looking at the posted photo of the shoe, I see a shoe that is racked and not covering one of the heels. Any shoe fit this way is likely, over time, to cause the horse to be sore. And not only in the heels.

[calshoer]

I have used eventers on Tevis Cup horses and never had a heel sore problem.
Although it is indeed a nice overall traditional shoeing, it is possibloe that with that much heel on your horse (he has a LOT of heel in that picture) that he was slamming his hels down too hard at a big trot. Had I been doing him I would have trimmed his heels back more, and set the shoe back some as well, to balance the shoeing and the hoof capsule around his coffin bone more, and help the back of the frog share some of the impact and load more. OR put frog support pads on him. OR both. :)
Patty

[SlowShoe]

My brothers grandprix horse was getting some bruising in the heels. She was in eventers, but I cant say THEY are to blame. Although I did and do forge more heel support into eventers every once in while as I think they are a bit thin. I had one guy from Georgia tell me used to use eventers on his endurance horses but switched because the heels didnt provide enough support as they were too thin. Every shoe wont allways work for every horse, but thats why we carry a forge in the truck. ;)

[Rick Burten]

Josh,

"Too thin" as in 'penciled' or "too thin" as regards thickness of the stock?