purpose of setting shoe back from toe?

[elizabeth]

My horse has had 2 soft tissue injuries & my trainer wants her to have more support, aka a wider shoe & not set the shoe so far back. Farrier likes to pull the toes back & set the shoe back on the foot & is very reluctant to let toe grow or to put a wide shoe on to encourage heels to spread. I'm trying to understand farrier's point of view. To complicate matters, trainer is a vet. Do I get 3rd opinion or what? I really like this farrier, but I wonder if his shoeing methods don't agree with this horse...horse has had the 2 injuries since I started with this farrier. :confused:

[calshoer]

There are tweo things in your post that may be of some concern. First, the heels are contracted which may indicate some problem in the trimming protocol. Or maybe not. Would have to see the foot.
The other thing is the farrier "not letting toe grow". Does that mean he trims the toes short from the bottom every time? or dresses them back (thinning the wall) agressively? or what?
Close up Pictures would help a lot. From the sides and the bottom.

Even though a lot of farriers are finally realizing that the foot should be allowed to roll over easier, there is a whole lot more to properly balancing a foot than just setting toes back. And just arbritrarily setting shoes back is not the answer either. Being accurate in placing the breakover point has to do with being able to read the outside of the foot accurately to know where are the structures inside the foot.
Even though getting breakover placed relative to the coffin bone and joint is important, the trimming has to be done right too if the foot is to be bananced for optimal function and so it can break over in the optimal time with the rest of the leg, minimising soft tissue strain. Trimming is 90 percent of this.
If the farrier is trimming too much toe, then setting the shoe back, it is incorrect. Or if he is leaving heels long (either tall or underrun) and setting shoe back, again incorrect.
Either practice can cause soft tisue injuries.
The WHOLE foot needs to be addressed, because one part affects another. Especially important is the BACK of the foot. Heels should be trimmed down to where they are close to the sole in the heel area so they can function and the frog can function. (which then also makes a naturally bigger, longer base of support for the whole leg)
The sole in the toe must be respected, not pared thin to shorten the toe.There is a natural subtle live ridge, or 'callous' there that helps support and protect the coffin bone. THEN after the right kind of trim, the breakover point should be properly placed under the foot.
It all has to go together. And the heels will get wider too, on their own, if it all works together.
Patty

[blueridgeshoes]

Which soft tissue(s)?

[Just passin through~]

dubbing the feet is a common fault in shoeing a horse.When the horse is cut down to a proper length and when a hoof guage is used to determine heel angle
if the shoe is set back everything is done in vane.What useually happens is the guy starts his toe nails first and the shoe slips back and rather re positioning it
he just keeps on nailing.It takes no skill whatsoever and alot of times the foot is cut randomly the shoe is pulled back to where he likes to see it at the heels and just chops the toe off.You have to be carefull dubbing toes,because after it has been done for a few years the horse gets use to traveling in the way the man shoes the horse and has a hard time getting use to proper angle.Anytime a horse is dubbed his shoe is smaller than it would be normaly as his heel height
rises. If your trainer is a vet and thinks a more full fitting shoe and wider web for support is what the horse needs by all means do it.................................As tight fitting shoes with no room for expanshion and contraction causes Contracted heels,especially when the foot is let to overun at the heel...........

[Phil Armitage]

Very good advice here from all, I was also wondering what soft tissue your talking about. I recommend your Vet and Farrier get together and share what they see in your horse come up with the best way to trim and shoe your horse, maybe even recommend to them to learn about Natural Balance. If this does not work out then get back to us, but I recommend takeing pictures and posting them here for us to evaluate. Need a bottom, side and front view, make sure the camera is straight on when you take the pictures, helps if someone holds the foot up for you. The side and front view can be taken by placeing the camera on the ground about 6-8 inches from the foot. Be carefull not to get struck in the head while doing this. There are many commen mistakes that Farriers make, letting the shoe slide back when nailing is one of them another a big mistake that many veteran and new Farriers make is trimming the sole in the toe area too short and leaving the heels too long. Many Farriers, Vets and Trainers still think this is how angles should be maintained. This method of trimming over time does the opposite and causes heel pain and tearing of soft tissue in the foot and deformaties in the hoof wall like flares, dishing and cracks. When the trimming is done in a manner to raise angles by shortening the toe and maintaining the heels, the heels crush and jams up into the soft tissue of the hair line, the toe area the sole is weak and there is loss of protection and support to the coffin bone. The best information on proper Trimming I have seen is on the Hope for soundness Web site. You can get there from the Natural Balance Bulletin board.