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Re: [RC] Circulation to the hoof - Karen Sullivan----- Original Message ----- From: "Jonni Jewell" <jonnij@xxxxxxxx> There are just TOO many horses out there who have always worn shoes, ALL their lives, who are older, that are sound, with GREAT feet. Sorry, the theory just doesn't work for me. Show me some solid documented facts that horses who wear shoes all the time have reduced circulation and blood flow to the feet. The proof I have that properly applied shoes are NOT doing this, is too darn many horses out there wearing them, who are sound as ever, with great feet. Jonni *I am going to add a few things here my farrier threw out yesterday when he shod. First of all, we went to Natural Balance shoes on my 5 year old who had been a tad lazy, has low foot movement and had been tripping some. With two sets of Natural Balance shoes she is moving so much better and not tripping at all. We also are observing that by setting that shoe back where it should be (and these are designed to be set back behind the toe, but have the nail holes in the right place), you have the added benefit of a wider toe and more protection to the front part of the hoof. With standard shoes, and riding on our hard ground, we had seen some traces of bruising when we removed the shoes and trimmed, in the toe region. This is all now gone. My shoer says the singlemost worst thing he sees in our neck of the woods...has been this reversed trend to take back the toe, and leave the heel too high. Remember the trend, especially in QH, to whacking off the heels and leaving a long toe.....? We see the reverse now, with horses with the toes back far...but 2 inch heels; looks like the horses are on stilts. Yes, my farrier does take back the toe....he also takes off some of the heel!!! When he is done the foot looks BALANCED, with shoe under the heel, heels backed up.....and shoe to the sides. Anyway, we were talking about this new trend also to fill the foot with vetec or equithane. He said some horses are so thin soled the end of the coffin bone is only 1/4" from the sole. He said in these cases, this type of packing can work very, very well. A friend currently has vetec on her QH mare, who had soles worn down very thin, and the horse is now moving very comfortable over hard roads and rocks (which is all we have to ride on!). In talking to my shoer about the need for this product on my horses, he said he didn't think so...that they all had good, thick soles and a good shoeing job should protect the food. He also felt that the way we are shoeing with the Natural Balance shoes, is protecting that part of the sole under the coffin bone....it is covered, so will not bruise on rocks..... Heidi, does any of this make sense??!! I hope I am explaining it right...... Yes, I worry about concussion with my horses with steel shoes....still interested in other materials, etc.... =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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