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Q :I
recently have changed farriers. I own a Cleveland Bay gelding
who has been described to me as having boxy feet. The new
farrier hot shod him (the old one didn’t and has made
the shoes wider on one side and the shoe pokes out to the
outside of his hoof wall).
I was too shy to ask why… so why do you think?
Is this okay?
Mrs Ed, Blenheim
A :The chances are that your new farrier has shod your Cleveland
Bay in this way to improve the feet.
Sometimes, boxy feet can be seen as having potential for problems
later in life, depending on the other factors of conformation.
Boxy feet, as you already know, are feet that are seen as upright,
often with an increased amount of heel.
It is reasonably common that upright/boxy feet also become contracted
at the heels and take on an oval (rather than round) appearance
when the front feet are affected.
As a result of these factors, it is thought that, in certain
circumstances, boxy feet can be more prone to concussion issues
(for example corns, bruising, strains and perhaps even navicular
syndrome).
This is thought to be a result of the upright feet absorbing
less of the concussion, by the longer heels being less able to
expand and return, and the foot not functioning to its highest
potential.
I’d suggest that your farrier has identified some of the
potential long-term problems with boxy feet on your Cleveland
Bay and is working towards helping him achieve long-term soundness.
What you have described with the shoeing (the shoe sitting proud
of the hoof wall) is consistent with a shoeing theory of encouraging
the hoof to grow to where the shoe has been fitted. In this case,
along with some good hoof dressing/trimming, there is potential
for the feet to become less boxy and a rounder hoof shape achieved.
There are many terms to describe this method but, most commonly
it is referred to as shoeing ‘with support’, ‘full’, ‘with
extra cover’ and so on.
This style of shoeing is generally regarded as successful and
often provides pleasing results.
When done correctly, it will also provide a good level of support
to the foot, improve performance and levels of comfort to the
horse.
Next time your farrier visits, perhaps pluck up enough courage
and ask him to explain to make sure this is the case!
 |
Boxy
hooves can become contracted at the heels, and can be
prone to concussion issues |
Q :Last
time he was shod, the farrier asked me if I wanted two stud
holes or three in each shoe. Apparently this is a new trend
(to have three). Can you tell me what the reasoning behind
the third stud is – wouldn’t it cause imbalance?
Jane, Auckland
A :Jane,
as you are already aware, stud holes are a very good idea for
any horse who is eventing. When the ground conditions are less
than perfect for a competition, it can be useful to have the
option of fitting suitable studs on the day. A rider without
stud holes in the shoes doesn’t even have the option
of considering their use!
When a farrier puts one stud hole in a shoe, they will usually
put it in the outside heel of the shoe. When there are two stud
holes, most commonly there will be one in each heel of the shoe.
A third stud hole can be placed just around from the toe towards
the inside half of the shoe.
This provides additional grip when a stud is fitted and can be
used in excessively slippery conditions or when that little extra
traction is required.
You are quite correct: this stud hole may cause a slight imbalance
when a stud is fitted.
In fact, any studs will cause a certain level of imbalance to
the horse as you are altering what the horse has become used
to. However, the increased amount of jarring to the legs and
other structures caused by the application of studs is often
seen as a preferred risk to take, rather than leave the horse
with no traction, who then has the potential to end up with the
rider in a heap on the ground.
Another added benefit of a third stud hole is when one of the
other holes becomes blocked or unusable. The additional or spare
hole gives the option for use in this instance.
Q :I
own a TB with pretty bad feet. Generally, he holds
onto his shoes for four weeks; however, this cycle his feet
are really splitting around the clenches after just a fortnight!
The clenches themselves appear raised and his foot is growing
over one side more that the other.
His feet appear very messy – I don’t want to have
to shoe him every two weeks or I’ll go bankrupt.
Are his feet growing super-fast or was the hoof not dressed properly
on the last shoeing?
Gerry, Wairarapa
A :Oh dear Gerry! There could be a combination of factors that
are giving you this problem.
Initially, it is generally considered that thoroughbreds do not
have the best quality of hoof compared to some other of the breeds
(such as Arabs for example).
Their feet often have fine walls, meaning not too much quantity
of hoof to start with and coupled with shoeing and then riding,
this can sometimes cause some of the problems you describe.
At certain times of the year depending on a change of weather
conditions, there can be a rapid growth spurt and the hoof structure
is also trying to adjust to the new environment (for example,
wet to dry conditions), which adds to the complications.
This could be the probable explanation for the increased hoof
growth since the last shoeing and would also encourage the clenches
to rise earlier than usual.
In addition, the rapid growth would explain the splitting that
you have noticed around the hoof.
My suggestion would be that this shoeing period has been unusual
and if your horse normally holds on until the four-week mark
then you should most probably expect this again in future cycles.
Two-weekly shoeing appointments sure would hit the pocket hard
although I would expect things not be so bad in the future.
