I believe that keeping horses sound is simple. If you learn how too balance a horse too it's natural bone structure. I also believe that in the last five to ten years we have gone back words thirty years in shoeing practices. In the late seventy's and early eighty's farriers were being told that you had too cut the heels down and lengthen the toe, this would give them more stride. What actually happened was as farriers we created a hole lot of navicular horses. How ever this is still being taught at some farrier schools today.In the last couple of years there has been a big push to get the frog and sole on the ground. I had about thirty horses come to me this year with this problem. In every case I have put bigger shoes on and in the more severe cases I have had too use a wedge shoe. Some of these horses could hardly walk. As soon as we got there angle right most of these horses showed immediate improvement. That is why I strongly believe that all it takes too keep a horse sound is too properly balance it too it's bone structure.The problem with this is you have too be willing too measure hoof angle using a hoof gauge. medial lateral balance using a T square, and toe lenght using a tape measure or a protractor.I strongly believe that there is no way anyone can do this just by eye. In my blog you can find all kinds of pictures of improperly shod horses that were just done by eye.If we don't start looking at the horse as a individual we will just keep on making more lame horses. Some farriers believe that it's the shoe that makes the difference. I believe that the shoe or the type of shoe has nothing to do with balancing a horse.I also believe that hot shoeing does not make any difference when it comes to balancing a horse.Just because your farrier makes his or her own shoes does not mean you are getting a better job.I think you are better off with a farrier that is more interested in trimming the foot properly.
In all of these pictures the horses have too small of shoes and uneven toe length.I am discussed that farriers can do this kind of work and charge money and go home and sleep at night. I wounder where these farriers are learning there trade. I believe that the north American schools are failing there students and the horse owners. When a student goes to a farrier school and all they learn is blacksmithing skills I don't believe that they are getting the wright skills. What they should be learning is proper hoof balance and anatomy. In my 30 plus years as a farrier I have fixed hundreds of horses by just simply balancing there feet.
