Steph, it sounds like your mare’s hooves are underrun
(no heel and long toes……which usually means the heels are quite
long, but they are crushed under the hoof because they grow forward. The
Ground Control shoes won’t be too good for this situation until you get
your mare’s hooves “up” again and not underrun.
Hopefully you have a good farrier who understands that you’ll
need to get the breakover way back in order to solve the underrun heels.
I like Natural Balance shoes for this, but they need to applied correctly or
they can cause more issues than they’re worth. But, if done
correctly, they will help move the breakover back and get the whole foot back
under the horse.
Egg Bars will make the problem worse, in my opinion.
Heart Bars are normally used for horses that have foundered and need more
support in the caudal portion of the hoof (so probably not applicable in your
horse’s case).
It’s likely that pads would be helpful with your mare
for a while since the sole is likely thin in the toe area.
Hopefully your farrier is very knowledgeable and will know
exactly what to do. But, maybe this will give you some talking points.
Karen
Referenced Post:
Got a quick question for y'all...
Planned on shoeing my mare, she's tenderfooted and we ride
at alot of state parks with gravel. I bought a full set of Ground Control shoes
to try on her, but Fed Ex lost them and my farrier is coming tomorrow. What is
the best equivalent in steel shoes? I know very little about hooves, but her
heels are not growing and her toes are very long, felt like the GCs would help
her there. Should I have her done in Egg Bars? Heart Bars? What's my best
option?
What about pads? I've not shod in steel shoes without at
least rim pads in two years, doesn't say much, I've only shod three times in
two years, too! Pros and cons? Been reading through the Archives, but I'm still
lost.
I'd like to have some idea before I talk to my farrier so I
don't sound really dumb (yeah.... I'm blonde for a reason!)...
