Shoeing is like riding, dentistry, or a feed program, where balance is the most important thing.
Balance of the foot depends on not only your farrier, but the team work of the people around your horse. In achieving good feet for your horse, all possibilities should be considered: riding, vet, body workers, dentist, diet, etc. Unfortunately, if a healthy foot is not achieved, there are no consequences to us, the rider, farrier, trainer… only to the horse.
The majority of people are confused about the design of the hoof, so when evaluating your horse’s feet, follow these simple rules.
The horse’s foot should have a sensitive and insensitive frog, with a nice well-defined cleft. The foot should have a sensitive and insensitive sole. The depth of the sole and hoof wall should be at the same height as your insensitive frog. The white line should be of equal distance all the way around the foot. If your horse’s foot looks like that, you have a balanced foot. If you have chips, cracks, or flares, you have an imbalanced foot. This tells you the horse is out of balance, and you know then you have not completed the wellness circle (body workers, chiropractor, farrier, dentist, feed, etc).
When your horse is recently shod, the foot should look balanced. In a short period of time, the imbalances may reappear. The answers to a well-balanced foot lie not only with the farrier, but the in wellness circle.
It is helpful to educate yourself as much as possible about the foot and how it and the body relate to each other. Many books have been written (i.e. anatomy, riding, veterinary, sculpting, and farrier). These will help you to complete wellness for your horse.
This tip was brought to you by KAM’s “Equine Learning Circle” (KELC) FREE webinars, which will take place twice a month starting in 2011. January 10th will focus on gut and digestion and January 31st on what to feed your horse. Go to www.kamanimalservices.com to sign up for these webinars. Space is limited. The KELC FREE webinar will conclude with a question and answer session, so be ready with your nutrition questions.