ridecamp@endurance.net: Re[2]: Bar Shoes

Re[2]: Bar Shoes

Bonnie Snodgrass (snodgrab@ncr.disa.mil)
Tue, 29 Apr 97 06:54:37 EST

Have held off replying to this post as the original question asked for
experience using bar shoes on endurance horses which I haven't done
but I have had a couple of horses in them before. They will help move
the base of support back under the heels but so will moving any shoe
further back on the foot and having shoe heels extend beyond foot
heels. Had to use them on a big TB who developed a sheared heel due to
poor hoof balancing. Caution, bar shoes can contribute to contracted
heels over time. An excellent farrier straightened out the sheared
heel problem for me and worked on the low heel, long toe problem on
the same horse. He explained that lifting a horses heels with wedges
(shoes or pads) would give immediate relief to the tendons but would
keep the heels from improving. Excess weight on the heels must be
redistributed for the heels to quit being crushed under. The wedges
don't shift the weight off the crushed heels.

I had the same problems poor, crumbling wall problem with a TWH cross
I used to have until my farrier moved away. The new farrier changed to
a much smaller nail (and a different shoe to accomadate the smaller
nail. He patched the crumbling wall with a Bondo type of stuff and as
the wall grew down the problem grew out. He pointed out that the
breaking up was only around the nails and primarily on the inside
walls. The smaller nail really did the trick for that mare.

Bonnie Snodgrass

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Bar Shoes
Author: ridecamp@endurance.net at smtp
Date: 4/26/97 12:22 AM

Truman

I've been poised to stick egg bars on Hal because of the no heel
problem. However he has grown more heel over the year that we've had
him, possibly because of the diet and supplements. He used to have a
wedge pad under one front leg, which I had removed as soon as we got
him. That one foot still has less heel than the others but it's better
than it was. Slowly we are straightening out his hoofs which started at
42 degrees.

The only thing that stops me jumping in with the eggbars right away is
that his feet are pretty cheesy and don't hold the nails well, and the
walls often collapse around the nails. With that over hang on the back
the chances of pulling off the shoes increases, especially on the rocky
hard surfaces we have here.

If I do go to them I will probably use pads to keep the rocks from
getting in under the shoe at the frog. Even with regular shoes, Hal has
picked up some large rocks (about 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter and 1 inch
thick) and it's a devil's job to get them out. The other thing I'm
inclined to do is try one size larger of regular shoe so that there is
more over hang at the back, same increased possibility of pull of but
more support with less of a rock problem.

On a slightly different tangent I was thinking that it would be nice if
they made the worl racing plate in steel or titanium. Regular wide webs
last us 4 to 5 weeks.

-- 
Open the bay door please, Hal.

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