>OBEndurance: I need to hear any and all alternatives to pads, so that I
>can give ideas to my farrier. Vet says no pads, farrier says yes pads,
>and I'm trying to find a good compromise. Because Special has lots of
>corrective shoeing done, easyboots over shoes are not really a good
>alternative. Any ideas anybody??? I've thought of cutting the centers
>out of pads so that I can clean them out and put iodine on her hooves. Is
>this a good alternative?? I would really like to hear what other people
>who ride on lots of rock do!
You didn't say why you & your farrier think that the horse needs pads & why
the vet is
against them. I would only use pads if they are truely necessary.
We have a foundered horse who still competes successfully. He needs pads
even if it is mildly rocky since he has a 5-6* rotation of the P3 in both
front feet. The type of pads you are talking about (center cut out) are
called "hospital pads". The center is removable so you can clean & care for
the foot. They DO NOT work on a horse who is actively working! They are
intended for horses whose feet are so poor that they have trouble even
standing in a stall. The centers kept popping out when we tried them -
worthless if we are trying to cover rocky ground at anything other than a
slow crawl!
We use Shock Tamer pads - the best we've fpound in 6 years of competing this
horse. They are made of a mix of different density materials, much like
human running shoes. Our farrier lost a Shock Tamer pad once, so he used 1
regular pad & one S.T. Major TOLD US that there was a difference when we
rode in the mountains!!!
If your concern is thrush/infection under a pad, it is a real concern & I'm
not sure that there is a perfect answer. We use a thrush medicine on the
sole before the pad is put on (even if there is no problem), and the farrier
fills the sole & seals the heel end w/ silicone caulking. We have to renew
the silicone periodically since it is lost every 2-3 weeks. This does seem
to keep the foot in better shape than traditional oakum packing. We try to
never leave pads on for more than 10-12 weeks at a time (2 sets).
The only other options that I can think of are RIM PADS & Slypners -
Rim Pads raise the foot from the ground and fit only under the web of the
shoe, leaving the sole open. They don't offer as much protection as full
pads, but they help. We have used these occasionally. The generic pads are
as good as the Shock Tamers for rim pads. S.T.'s rim pads just don't seem
to make as big a difference as the full pads & they're a bit more expensive.
Slypners seem to have some roblems w/ the inserts popping out, based on the
posts to this list & what my friend has experienced (especially in rough
terrain). I will reserve judgement on the Slypners until I see if they
devise a way to address the issue of lost inserts.
I hope that our experiences help you out! Good luck.