Ridecamp: [RC] Problem with Forging

Reading the posts about the Natural Balance shoes has decided me to ask for
suggestions for my young mare's forging problem. She is a long legged, short
backed type. She has long, well sloped back shoulders and front pasterns
with the same slope. Her back pasterns/hooves are significantly less sloped
(higher angle). My farrier has her hoof  angles trimmed to match her pastern
angles nicely. Well she forges like the dickens. When I bought her as an
unbroke 3 yr old I didn't notice it till I had her home and on a lunge line.
She does this barefoot and shod, hits the bottoms of her front feet with her
back toes like clockwork. She has her first full set of shoes on now,  St.
Croix Eventers, set well back off the front toes to help with breakover and
she forges so badly that on her third ride she managed to pull a shoe off. 

Yes, her trim job is very well balanced. No, I don't ride her on a loose
rein, all strung out or at a hurried trot. I've always managed to "fix"
forging problems with my farriers with simply balancing the feet and
improving breakover then training and conditioning appropriately.  This mare
needs something more so that I can go on and train/condition. She has the
smoothest gaits in any Arab that I've ridden and is a joy to ride but she is
very obviously uncomfortable with the constant crashing of her feet. 

Do we dare fiddle with her angles a little? Would the Natural Balance shoes
help any? Should we set the her hind shoes back off her toes?We haven't done
that yet because I felt it would just speed up her back breakover and catch
her front feet worse but maybe I'm wrong about that.  Extend the heels of
the hind shoes? Lower the back heels a little? AAAAAGGHHHH!!!!!!

My farrier is a young guy, journeyman farrier, really good forging skills
but not a lot of years of experience under his belt. He very open minded and
we communicate well. Next appt in one week.

Bonnie Snodgrass

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