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FROM THE HOOFCARE & LAMENESS ARCHIVES Practical Shoeing Solutions for
Show Hunters, Equitation Horses, and Jumpers Note: this article was originally published in Hoofcare & Lameness in 1994. Summary: Shoeing show hunters, equitation horses, and jumpers of all levels is the bread and butter of American farriers who work with English-style horses. Most of these horses fit into a shoeing formula that is easily maintained, but many carry with them inherently weak hooves that may jeopardize their longevity in the show ring. Hunters and equitation horses require practical solutions that will not compromise the horse's lightweight front shoes, since the addition of weight is likely to cause the horse to increase its "action" at the canter. For our foreign readers: In America, the most popular English-style show horse is the show hunter. These horses are almost all American Thoroughbreds, or Thoroughbred crosses. They are judged on their way of going, which means a long, low, graceful, and uniform stride, smooth takeoffs and landings over low fences, well-rounded turns, and the proper attitude, "tuck," and "lift" over the fence. Few will ever see a hunt field. * * * Not very many horses were shod in New England on November 16. Almost 100 farriers took a day off and crammed their rigs into the fields surrounding the Rochester Equine Clinic in Rochester, New Hampshire, for the clinic's annual vet-farrier seminar. The two main speakers, John Blombach and Myron McLane, are local farriers whose expertise is so widely known and respected that the building was full. "We see horses in their pajamas. We go to the barn, pull the horse out and shoe it. Without knowing how the horse looks and moves under tack or over fences, it is difficult to fully understand what the horse needs to perform at its optimal ability." Massachusetts farrier John Blombach is talking about what he does, day in and day out. It also happens to be one of the things he does best: shoeing hunters and jumpers, or English-style show horses. Excerpts from John's presentation follow. Thin walls are a reality in these horses, part of their Thoroughbred heritage. One horse John shoes shows in Mustad Easy-Glu shoes with leather pads rivetted inside. "Before those shoes were put on him, he spent half of his life in a stall, the other half with his foot in a bucket," John recalls. The horse could never be shown consistently because of lameness problems or pulled shoes. With the glue-ons, the horse went to reserve champion at the National Horse Show this year. Leather pads are a staple of John's work. He theorizes that the foot wears into the pad, instead of the pad wearing into the foot. Heel "folding" is common when a horse wears plastic pads, and John has fewer problems by using leather. He did not mention any adverse effects of the added weight of leather pads, particularly when they are wet. Remember that leather pads are used for wall and heel protection, not for sole protection. They may not last as long as plastic pads, but they are available in different thicknesses and some experimentation will show you which thickness is best for which horses. Bell boots are required equipment for the riders who want to keep their horses' feet in top condition. "Pulling shoes is a management problem. It's not the horse's problem," John stressed. "But it's not enough to just put on a bell boot. It must be large enough to touch the ground in the back. I'd say that almost every horse should be wearing an extra-large bell boot, even if the shoe is only a #1. Egg bar failures can usually be traced to heel shape and fit. If the horse is sore in the tendons and heels, look at the shoe and how the horse lands. If the heels are too long, the egg bar puts more stress on the heels. That bar will crank the heels if the horse lands heel first. Wedge pads are available in both leather and plastic; John prefers leather wedges with a flat aluminum bar shoe. Clips can be added wherever the horse can use them. An equitation horse wears a three-clipped shoe: one lateral clip and two medial clips, to prevent the horse from standing on the shoe or injuring the medial hoof wall. Square toes in hind shoes are standard; the most typical hind shoe is the #3 steel Werkman. The toe is already square; it still must be doxed and safed, drilled and tapped. Every hind shoe's square toe is rounded off so the horse does not grab a front foot with sharp steel. The toe of the shoe is also set back from the toe of the foot for that reason. Be careful about using square toes on front shoes because you are directing breakover and you could cause a fetlock injury or a knee problem. A rolled toe is usually safer. If you have to use a square toe on a front shoe, use it to direct breakover in the direction the horse naturally prefers. Mismatched front feet and offset knees are common in Thoroughbred type horses. Shoeing is needed to balance the knees. One case John showed involved the following solution. The low foot was shod with an egg bar with a plastic wedge between the shoe and the leather pad, so the heels would not be further crushed. On the upright foot, John used an open shoe and a flat leather pad. The knees were then in line. When asked why he didn't use two bar shoes, John explained that the dished foot would gain a lever-like action from the bar shoes, causing it to shorten strides and possibly pull the shoe on landing. Hot fitting is a good practice when shoeing potentially lame performance horses. It seals the horn tubules and gives a good surface, so there are less broken walls. Hocks require lameness prevention and maintenance care during shoeing. Heel support will help the hocks. Foxhunting horses are usually bigger and heavier than show horses, but many of the same principles apply. They are shod with steel all around, and the farrier should be working on helping the horse with breakover. "Don't put the shoe out in front of a hunt horse," John warned. One horse shown was switched from a #1 Kerckhaert to a #3, even although the toe was shortened considerably. The larger shoe gave the horse more heel support. Calk placement has less to do with lameness problems than which calk is used in the hole. Always assume that the rider is going to screw in a two-inch calk. Set the hole in the center of the web, slightly to the inside, and don't use the crease as a guide. Different shoes have different creases and you may make a mistake if you fall into the habit of using the crease as a marker. Backing up toes is a requirement, but it must be done sensibly. You can only back the foot up one-half of the thickness of the wall at the toe. But think of it this way: that's the amount of trim backup you have. You can still set the shoe back from the point where you trimmed the toe. Use the shoe's placement to manage the horse's breakover. Furthermore, roll the toe in the direction of the best breakover for the horse. Rununder heels aren't caused. They exist, as do sheared heels, even in foals. The best a farrier can do is prevent worse damage. Practice damage control. You can work with rununder heels; a rununder heel may still be a strong heel. But with a weak heel you have to prevent fold-over and soreness. A weak heel causes a lot of grief. Recommended tools Two drill presses: You can save time if you don't have to keep switching bits back and forth; leave one set up for both jobs. A cheap drill press works fine for most farrier work; you don't really need a $300 Power Tapper unless you are doing all tapped shoes. Reversible drill: A spiral tap on a simple reversible, variable-speed drill is very helpful. Grinder: Flap disks make grinding aluminum shoes much easier. Countersink: If the threads of the stud holes are below the surface of the shoe, they are much less likely to get stripped, which requires a new shoe. Always use a solid vise, not an anvil vise, to hold the shoe while you are countersinking. This article originally appeared in Hoofcare & Lameness: The Journal of Equine Foot Science and is available for your personal use only. Re-publication is prohibited without the express written permission of Hoofcare & Lameness. Detailed information on this and many other hoofcare topics can be found in Hoofcare & Lameness publisher Fran Jurga's award-winning guide to hoofcare, "Understanding the Equine Foot". For more information, or to order, click here Back to the articles table of contents Write to H&L: PO Box 6600, Gloucester, MA 01930. Tel 978 281 3222; fax 978 283 8775. Email webinquiry@hoofcare.com. Internet http://www.hoofcare.com. © 1998
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