This is an interesting thread since I worked on one today I'd like to see his hind feet spread some and take some pressure off of his contracted heels. Which I think is putting alot of pressure on the medial and lateral cartilages. This horse is about 16 1, 1150 lbs, QH, and put together from leftover parts. His back is really long and he's a bit cowhocked. His hinds have been contracted sine I started working on him a couple years ago but they have opened some over time. The central sulcus of the frog was deep and closed and full of thrush and it's now more open and dry. The horse is very sore in the heel bulbs and if you push on the back of the cartilages. He's had many different setups including straight bars, egg bars, wedge pads with IM for support and all those just make him more sore. If I shoe him a bit to tight and close to the frog with the heel check and the frog gets pressure from the shoe after a few weeks he get's real sore to, we don't let that happen.

Right now he is in Delta Challenger 8 mm hinds, slight rolled toe, with short heel extensions to the back of the heel bulbs for support. Inside web along the frog ground out so no pressure, and fit with about 3/16" expansion on the inside, and 1/4" on the outside. Shoes are boxed and safed and he keeps them on. Center of heels on the shoe are about 1/4" inside the toe nails maybe a bit more, that's why I feel he's contracted.

He's shod every 5 weeks and I take 3/8" to 1/2" off each trim. He's rideen on trails 5 to 7 days a week ranging from hard pack dirt to deep sand in the dry washes. Not head bobbing lame just sore and ouchy. After working a few minutes he's pretty good to go but it does hurt him. I can make him react just by squeezing with my thumb and forefinger on his heels bulbs and cartilages.

So, will any of what is being discussed here help spread these feet? Slippered shoes, heel springs, IM in the sulcus, bar shoes, shoes fit wide?

Or is this horse just destined to be like this for life? It has me scratching my head cause I can normally get them to spread a bit and be comfortable, but this one has me puzzled.

I've noticed with the leather pad that you probably wont get much hoof expansion. If you look at a leather pad after you remove it the the hoof is indented in th pad which I would think restrict hoof expansion. I've had good luck with horses that are sore in there bulbs and bad heel pain is to use a heartbar shoe with a pad and cut it to float the heels but so that the pad is still on the bar so the frog bares the weight and pressure is relieved from the heels. Doing it this way I think a leather pad would be fine. IMO

IMO, soundness and comfort are primary concerns, contraction is secondary. I obviously haven't seen the situation myself, but generally IME the horse has to get comfortable before you can expect to see any kind of structural changes.

Even at that, a contracted foot generally begins to spread at the hairline first, the expansion at the ground surface doesn't come till later, and not without some persistance.

IMO, soundness and comfort are primary concerns, contraction is secondary. I obviously haven't seen the situation myself, but generally IME the horse has to get comfortable before you can expect to see any kind of structural changes.

Even at that, a contracted foot generally begins to spread at the hairline first, the expansion at the ground surface doesn't come till later, and not without some persistance.

The foot expands every time it hits the ground. It generaly spreads at the hairline first? I dont know that is true. As I've observed how a barefooted horse seems to get much wider at the bottom than the top.

The pressure on the frog will help the foot to spread also and using the heartbar shoe and floating the heels will help to make the horse sound.

Well Joey like I said this was my opinion. I've done a few horses with great success this way. Also I think it depends on whether the narrow feet are genetics or man made as to how far they will spresd if they spread at all.
So your saying that expansion starts at the hairline first? I find this to be next to impossible as the bottom of hoof hits first. Is this opinion or fact? If it's fact I would certainly be interested in seeing the evidence.