Articles
This page will contain various shoeing articles for general interest to Farriers/Vets/Equine professionals & horse owners.Nigel will be incorperating some of his own shoeing work aswell as work by other well respected Farriers.In time this site will also include movie download information.
NEW ARTICLE by 3 times World Champion Darren Bazin !
"Low Heels corrected for Woody" By Nigel Fennell AWCF.
Short Article
In June 2008 I began shoeing for Clare Rowell a Medium/Advanced Dressage rider from Twyford Berkshire.One of Clares horses Woody of 9 years of age upon inspection of his lower limb hoof pastern axis behind was showing a slightly "broken back" pastern formation.
It was clear to see that the heels were "crushing" and had done so over quite a period of time and in view of his working movement you can see how well he comes through from behind,thus the weight descending through the heels upon weight bearing was crushing the heels .
He had normal hind shoes fitted but the heels of the foot were low enough to see that the top surface of frogs(Ground Surface) were almost level with the ground surface of the shoe itself,so the frogs were proud when the shoes were removed , and upon bearing because the heels were so shallow the entire frogs would bear weight first.Normally the heels should be level with the top of a correctly formed frog body,so as in weight bearing phase the heels/frog & solar foot surface can take weight in unity.
The shoeing course of action had to include;
- Instantly restore correct Hoof Pastern Axis (HPA)
- Support the limb statically & Dynamically
- Give frog support
- Support Heels/Generate good heel development
With all this in mind I decided to make and fit Hind radius Bar shoes (Egg Bars but not too excessive on length !) Combining with the fitting of "stiff" leather pads to give firm breathable frog support in conjunction with "Magic Cushion Sole packing material .
Once applied the HPA was restored and over only three shoeings the heels developed very well and the frogs were now in a better position because of the relief of the pads/Barshoe support.Once complete recovery of the hoof capsules is restored we may be able to remove the pads & just keep the handmade bar shoes,but in doing so it is important to observe the integraty of the heels.Should they show signs of reverting back then frog support will be needed again.
For the time being though Woody is doing well and Clare had noted and remarked that she felt his movement had improved since the shoeing system was applied and continues to compete him at an advanced level 3/4 times a month.Many thanks Clare for your assistance to this article & good luck for all your future competing.
Shoeing The Asymmetrical by Darren Bazin.
Many thanks to Darren for working on this article for the website .
Check out "Pro feet" hoof supplement for further information on the link above for an effective treatment to better hoof quality.
