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RE: [RC] corns-what to do - heidiWhen the shoer last shod my horse I saw bruses on the trimming's of his heels (never noticed before) he said it was corn's and they had been worse-have no idea if he's improving it. He also trips occasionaly and seems to look for softer ground on the trail.(live in the rocks and hard ground) When I moved up here changed shoers-the old one had shod my horse for years with no problem-but a personality conflict started developing with my other horse-shoer didn't like him-he didn't like the shoer (current shoer has no problem with this horse) Been using him for about 10 months. All the info seems to blame the shoer and horse confirmation and hard ground doesn't help? He's coming in 2 weeks and gotta figure what to do. If anyone has delt with this would appreciate suggestions. Corns are indeed a farrier issue. They are the result of shoes too small and/or shoes not shaped wide enough. To understand how horses get corns, first you have to understand that when the hoof strikes the ground, it expands, particularly out through the heels. This expansion can make the hoof up to 1/4 inch or more wider on each side at the time when it is under maximum stress and concussion. But too many farriers shape the shoe to "fit" the unstressed hoof. Properly shaped shoes will "fit" around the toe, but will become gradually wider than the "at-rest" hoof at the bars, and will be as much as 1/8 to 1/4 inch wider at the heels. The shoe will "show" sticking out when the horse is standing at rest. The heels of the shoe should also be just a tad longer than the end of the horse's heels--in other words, should stick out a little bit behind the heel as well. Many farriers are resistant to shoeing this way, because it doesn't "look pretty" in their eyes. But if your farrier won't do this for you, run far away and find another one. Imagine shoehorning your own feet into shoes too small, with no room for expansion. You might be ok sitting around doing nothing when you wear them, but I guarantee you they will hurt when you try to walk or run. Heidi (who would personally hate to have to go barefoot, but who sure prefers shoes that fit!) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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