Re: 4 point trim/shoeing

Linda Cowles @ PCB x5624 (linda_cowles@MENTORG.COM)
Tue, 26 Nov 1996 17:05:43 -0800

My appy mare Cammie had notoriously bad feet. Shoes would come off one
and two at a time on trail rides! *REALLY* bad feet. I changed shoers,
and the new guy's done a great job at getting her feet "organized", but
the main thing he did was to pull her rear shoes, 4-point-trim them, and
convince me to let her go barefoot. I guessed she'd be walking on bloody
pasterns within a week. Surprize!!!!

The shelly-hooved-mare, 8 months later, is ridden barefoot (behind) on the
trail. I carry easy boots, but no longer put them on. This month, the fronts
come off, and we'll see if it holds true for them as well.

BTW, This mare is "club-footed" on *both* front feet, much less now than when
Gary started with her - she was extreme with dished, cracked toes and not
weighting the heels. But he's, ahhh, changed that, without messing with
her trim angle or shoe - or tendons... <hehehe> If our suspitions are right,
the next few months could be very interesting. She's damned near normal now,
and sound as a dollar. Dr. Kerry Ridgway claimed that I changed horses on him
when he saw her; she's been one of his regulars.

I don't know if it's the "4-point" part of the trim that's "responsible" for
Cammies the improvement. A bad farrier can mess up a 4-pt as easy as he can
a regular trim. Gary Matthews, flat-out, does a hell of a trim. He says that
he's seen a lot of improvement in other horses. I'll take his word for it!

Have a happy Thanksgiving - And good luck to all of you Turkeytrot riders!!

I'm outta here for the weekend!

Linda
Gilroy California