ridecamp@endurance.net: forgeing at the trot

forgeing at the trot

Trishmare@aol.com
Wed, 9 Apr 1997 09:31:29 -0400 (EDT)

Well, awhile ago I posted the message that my long-legged, short-backed arab
David forged at the trot, and asked for advice. I noted that we had started
dressage work and I hoped that would help. I recieved much helpful advice,
but what I decided to try first (because it seemed the least drastic of all
recommendations) came from Tom Ivers. he said, "The very best solution to
forging is to raise the angles in front, lower them behind (speed up front
and slow down hind)--". It was explained to me that unlike squaring the
toes,(which is rather aggressive, i.e., damaging to the hocks), changing the
angles a bit delays, rather than shortens, the stride behind.
Gave the advice to my very conservative farrier--he doesn't like to
change anything about a horse's hoof angles if it can be helped. He says,
best way to shoe a horse is let them run free and barefoot for awhile, then
trim them "just the way they are standing," then ride them barefoot for
awhile, then shoe them "just the way they are standing"--and ONLY THEN do any
tinkering with hoof angles and such if any problems remain. But after I had
explained to him how David overreaches, and how he'd cut the bulb of his hoof
a couple of times last fall, he agreed with Tom. Ever conservative however,
while he lowered the hind angles, he said he "only barely" raised the front
angles. "Let's see what this does and work from there." He did leave a bit
of rear hoof overlapping the hind shoes in the front as a "bumper" he
said--and said this overlap would wear off till it was flush with the shoe.
RESULTS; so far I have not heard even one "clack!" while trotting down the
road. I will say, though our dressage work is very preliminary, David has
been carrying himself (and me) better and this may have helped too. Thanks
Tom! And everyone else who responded to my forging post!
Trish & "pretty David" (who says "My shoes cost more than Mom's Nikes--and
they don't even have a cool checkmark on the back!")

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