Re: tripping

[Barbara Madill <madill@teleplex.net>]

Ann, thanks for your input....
At 09:26 AM 11/29/1998 -0800, you wrote:
>a new shoer started doing this horse, he let the horse grow more toe and a
bigger foot and, guess what... he still trips occassionally but he doesn't
go down.
>
>Beware of a shoer who, upon hearing that your horse is tripping, chops off
>the toes and sets the shoe back.  This is like trying to walk on stiletto
>heels (spike heels, guys) for the horse.  When they get too much forward
>momentum, they have nothing to help support the forward motion and just go
>over the front!  If your horse trips, he may have too little toe, not too
>much.  Just stand way up on your tippy toes and try to trot and see what
>kind of balance you have.

	I suspect this all relates to the individual -- In the case of the horse I
sold with the long toes -- that's the way he went best...  This mare and
her mother need and needed "stubs" to be balanced...

	I find that I am balanced MUCH better UP ON MY TOES (the ball of my foot)
since I am a scottish country dancer....  HOWEVER, I DON'T wear shoes that
force me to STAY up there...

	As far as horses go, the thing to remember is to find balance -- the TRUE
shoulder, pastern, coffin bone angles should match.... trouble is in
finding a farrier who WILL find that balance and stick with it....  Also, I
like a horse fit as full as possible in the heel area -- if the breakover
is balanced, there is little likelihood that the horse will forge....
provided the rider is in balance!!

Barbara who, admittedly, is not always "balanced"