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Re: [RC] Interference and Forging - steelsidedownInterference at the rear fetlocks is usually due to the hinds out of balance. (unbalanced hooves equal a unbalanced flight path) Most horses are slightly cow hocked, wearing the lateral hoof wall faster, it also becomes denser due to weight load, thus tends to grow at a slower rate. While the medial is less dense and grows at a faster rate. (Have you ever noticed nails seem to be "higher" on the medial side of your horse? This is due to the hoof material being less dense, the nail is able to travel farther.) When trimming (then shoeing) horses with this conformation you must take care to keep them in balance - trimming little off the lateral side and much more off the medial. Hold the leg at the canon and look down to check balance. (not at the fetlock, you can manipulate that joint too easily) All that said, a horse in their teens that has been left unbalanced will likely have quite a bit of arthritis and not appreciate things being changed. Sometimes in those cases its better to buy the interference boots. :-( Barefoot horses will still interfere, they just don't do as much visible damage to themselves. Jen (farrier in VA) ---- Michelle Aquilino <michelle.antoinette@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: Ok, so my horse has never in the past interfered or forged or had any movement problems at all. She started forging and stumbling quite a bit about a month ago. Now today (she got brand new shoes on Wednesday) she had horrible interference problems. She bloodied both rear fetlocks, and her front right bulb. I know horse's movements change as they grow, get fit, etc, but I remain somewhat skeptical in my situation. What is the likelihood this is all because her rear toes are too long? Or something similar related to her trim/shoe job? And not to shift people away from this possible problem, but what about her interference/forging as an indication of saddle problems? I have worn my saddle on her for the last 2.5 years, and never had problems before. I had always used just a plain thin dressage pad that I had gotten for free from a friend. Now I use a dixie midnight no sweat and a skito, and have recently noticed a small rub spot on her withers. Fyi, I use an ansur treeless. Or would maybe the feet/shoeing problems cause a change in her gait, and thus a change in how the saddle and pads fit? Just trying to figure all of this out, as I want to continue conditioning, but don't want to hurt her, and definitely want to solve the problems before doing another ride... Hoping to get some advice from others who know more than me! Thanks =) -Michelle -- "Don't breed or buy while shelter animals die" =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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