Cindy,
Sorry to read about your thrown
shoe dilemma.
St. Croix Eventers is also my shoe of
choice, but
you forgot to mention, if your farrier
clipped the shoes.
When feet are as broken-up as you
described, clips take
the strain off the nails, especially
with pads.
As far as silicone goes, I
don't think it is hoof friendly.
I believe it keeps the sole in a
constant sweat, and creates
soft soles, to the point, that if the
horse did'nt particulary need
pads before, it would now.
If I was shoeing a horse, with
this problem, I would
approach it as so;
Shoe the horse full, with a shoe
big enough,to fit the foot,
enabling the nail holes to be outside
the live white line.
Hopefully this way, one can still get a
good high nail line,
even though, there isn't much to nail
to. Usually, when a
horse throws a shoe, and breaks the foot
up, as you described, the nails were driven too shallow in the first
place.
Next, I would draw side-clips on
the shoe, where they
would do the most good, spoon the heels
slightly to ensure
the horse won't step on them. Then I'd
throw the shoes
back into the fire, to a light
cherry-red, take them out and
put concavity into them . That way, you
can be rest-assured,
theres no sole pressure.
Put'em back in the fire, to a
dull heat, level the shoe, take the shoe
to the horse and
seat it in to the hoof.
The next step would be to
rivit the heel of the pads to the
heel of the shoe. That way, theres no
doubt that the pad stays secure from the last nail hole to the
heel.
then I'd nail it on, and clinch
the nails with the hammer &
clinch block method, instead of using
clinchers, insuring
that the clinches' are
"kissed-over", instead of being pulled
down, taking precious wall with the
nail.
Next, wire-brush and acetone the
foot to remove dirt and
residual oils. Making sure the hoof is
clean & dry, I would
than proceed to fill in the gaps and
spaces between the
shoe and foot withEQUITHAN( a
semi-ridgid hoof acrylic),
before the EQUITHAN completely set up,
set the side clips
into it. Afterwards,smoothly rasp and
feather it to the foot.
Than I'd stuff between the
pad and sole a mixture of
pine-tar & oakum, using an old flat
bastard file.( Does any-
one know how that poor file got its'
name?)
WALLAH, you've got new, happy
feet.
Hope this helps,
sorry it's so long.
So long,