Ask the Farrier: Shoes for Jumping a Flat-Footed Horse?

In February, Elaine asked about the necessity of shoes for her flatfooted draft cross, which she intends to start jumping soon:

Farrier Arvin Reynolds answers:
When you start jumping a flat footed horse in a competitive way, especially out in the field where terrain can be rocky or otherwise unpredictable, shoes are a must to protect the soles. I would recommend full pads during show season or heavy training, for additional protection against bruising. Leather pads (as opposed to plastic) allow the hoof to breathe and reduces the potential for debilitating thrush build-up. Your farrier should inject a supportive material between the pad and the hoof to help keep dirt and debris from getting under the pad. I normally use Equipak CS.

Finally, you might consider asking your farrier to roll the toes of the shoes to facilitate break-over.

I'm not aware of any shoes marketed specifically for flat-footed horses at this time, however, the Rick Redding Roller Motion or "banana" shoe might be applicable here.

Good luck with your new horse!

Arvin Reynolds can be reached by phone at 703-895-4786 or email AGRShoeing@aol.com

photo courtesy of HorsePoint

Ask the Farrier - Should You Soak a Hoof Abcess?

Danielle from Oregan asked: "My horse had a hoof abcess around Christmas time and my vet and farrier didn't agree on whether or not to soak the hoof - the vet said "yes" to draw it out, and the farrier said "no" it would just soften the hoof and not really help. What is your opinion on the subject?"

Arvin Reynolds answers:

"My general rule of thumb is - don't soak it until you have a track- that is - an area where the vet or farrier has dug out the abcess or where the abcess is naturally rupturing. Applying an ichthamol poltice to this area and wrapping the hoof is a good way to continue to draw the infection out in between soaks.

If you start soaking the hoof before you have visible evidence of an abcess you soften the entire hoof structure, thereby making the hoof more vunerable to bruising - this negative effect, in my opinion, does not justify what little benefit soaking the hoof may have inasmuch as bringing out an abcess. I have seen many cases where premature hoof-soaking has confused the issue rather than helped - for example - during the shoeless and soaking regimen, the owner takes the horse for a walk, the horse steps on something or overuses himself, becomes sore-footed and possibly bruised, then the owner/vet is unsure of whether an abcess is really developing or if the horse is just sore, and unnecessary time is wasted.

My advice, if you suspect an abcess is brewing, allow the horse as much turnout as possible to keep blood circulating and wait patiently -resist the urge to give bute or pull the shoe too soon. If there is an abcess, there should be a pocket of heat developing as well. The horse's lameness should be gradually and clearly getting worse. Anything else is more likely a stone bruise or heel soreness. If you're horse was just shod, perhaps it's a too-close trim or a close nail. But please consult your farrier before soaking the hoof, and never soak with the shoe on."

Arvin Reynolds is an AFA, BWFA and Cytek certified Farrier specializing in therapeatic shoeing. His practice is in the Mid-Atlantic and southern FL (winters only). He can be reached at 703-895-4786 and AGRShoeing@aol.com

Ask the Farrier - What's the Deal With Clips?

On Friday, Jocelyn and her horse Moo wanted to know why some horses need clips and what they are for.....

Arvin Reynolds' answers:
Clips are used to stabilize the shoe on the horse's hoof. There are several reasons why one horse's hoof may need that extra help more than another. If you jump your horse, your farrier may use toe clips (one clip on the front of the shoe) to keep the shoe from slipping backward. On the hind hooves, quarter clips (one on each side of the hoof) are sometimes used to keep the shoe from slipping.

Whether your horse needs clips or not should be determined by the quality of the hoof, the type and intensity of the horse's work load, and the way the horse uses his shoes. Some horses are just harder on their shoes than others due to confirmation, way of going, or habits (playing hard in the field, for example).

There are no grave side effects to using clips - they are just a tool to keep the shoe in the optimum position on the hoof. Hope this answers your question!

Arvin Reynolds is an AFA & BWFA Certified Farrier specializing in therapeutic shoeing. He can be reached at 703-895-4786 or AGRShoeing@aol.com

Ask the Farrier: High Heel, Low Heel Syndrome

Krista from Mattoon, IL asks:
"My farrier said my horse has something called High Heel/Low Heel Syndrome and that's why his hoof angles don't look very even from the side. Can you tell me more about it? Can it affect my horse's movement? Is there a treatment?"

Farrier Arvin Reynolds answers:

Thanks for the question, Krista. High Heel/Low Heel Syndrome is a very common imbalance associated with the front pair of hooves. Very simply, one heel looks higher than the other and tends to grow that way despite some corrective shoeing measures.

The majority of horses have, to some degree, dissimilar hoof size and/or growth patterns for which there are many possible causes such as the horse’s typical “grazing stance” (repetitive position when one hoof is positioned in front of the other for balance when lowering the neck to graze) or way of going due to confirmation and/or muscular development. A mature horse’s irregular or otherwise undesirable hoof shape may even have been caused by excessive protein intake as a foal.

Depending on the degree of the imbalance, movement can be affected. The leg with the more upright hoof (higher heel) will tend to have a shorter stride; the leg with the lower heeled hoof will be a bit longer in stride. Overly upright hooves are susceptible to arthritis or other joint disorders; Too-low heels receive too much impact, resulting in sore heels or, possibly, navicular disorders.

Your farrier’s job is not necessarily to “correct” the imbalance as that may not be possible, it may be better to think about “managing” it. The upright hoof should have as much heel taken off as possible on each shoeing ; the lower-heeled hoof may need to be addressed with pads to reduce concussion and encourage growth, and the breakover on this hoof should be moved back as far as possible. Every horse, and thus, every shoeing case is different. Feel free to email some pictures – front and side on a level surface – to the Good HorsePerson if you have any further concerns. Hopefully I’ve addressed your question! -Arvin Reynolds

Arvin Reynolds is an AFA and BWFA Certified Farrier specializing in therapeutic and sport horse shoeing. He is currently the sole farrier for the United States Park Police in Washington, DC. He is also one of two certified Cytek shoers in Virginia. He can be reached by phone at 703-895-4786 and email AGRShoeing@aol.com