Whats this all about? Vets and farriers in the UK are using them as a cure all for all lameness. Is this a world wide epidemic or just here? The advent of the JB heart bar seems to be a major cause of said out break.
it's an old type of shoe that has been around for centuries. made a big comeback in the 1980's with the late burney chapman; and now again realizing the good aspects of a good shoe. I have them a couple with amazing results. but you must be careful how and when to use them; for they can cripple a horse just as fast as keep it sound.
When do you decide to use them? Can you describe the pathology that they ameliorate? Im trying to avoid laminitis in this discussion although the doificulty of fitting for that condition is far more complex than most imagine. What do you think the cripling is caused by? It seems to me there is a huge risk putting a shoe on that can cause the horse to be crippled, and xrays wont answer which will react which way.
Decision is made when nothing else works; or no vet or despondent vet!! Heel cracks, quarter cracks, prolapsed frog,[ careful on that]; crushed heels, LHLT; navicular syndrome or caudal heel pain; but find that with PO can put too much pressure on the coffin bone. crippling is caused by to much pressure on the coffin bone as in either standing or foot flight landing within gait or shoes ok; but add the rider and just the extra weight will cause the lameness. sometimes x-rays will never answer all lameness on all horses. when I try this; I put 1 nail on each side; but the horse's foot down, fold down clinches, and have the owner jog, ride the horse to see if lameness begins; if not; put horse in stall; go shoe another; then come back to see if heats starts in the foot; if so pull it; if not, then nail up and keep in touch that evening to make sure everything is going well; if not; go out at 8pm to pull the shoe; and I keep my schedule open and phone on for the next few days; just as a precaution. it's when barshoes just aren't working at all.
A good example. I took on a new customer who's horse had no heels. Heels were way below the frog and it also was broke back (HPA). It was also very flat footed. The owner told me the previous farrier always drew blood when he was trimming. So I trimmed it from the top. I brought the toe back a bunch and put on a heartbar with very light pressure. The next shoeing I had heals! This horse has done real well. I believe once I get the proper angle all the way down from hairline to grown I might be able to take off the heartbar. I believe the heartbar is like an arch support to a human foot. It is giving the horse the added support it needs right now.
Well a heart bar does run across the "frog bridge" so it is supporting a transverse arch in the sole.
OK, so now what? David, you said something about pressuring the bursa (navicular?) with a heart bar. I'm having a hard time visualizing how that can happen.
Either of those conditions would immediately rule out a heart bar as an option for me. Are you saying that you have seen horses were a heart bar has caused bursitis or DDFT lesions?
Exactly and me!!! And no I havent seen a heart bar cause those conditions although poorly applied I wouldnt rule it out, and there are a lot poorly applied. My origanal point was I liked Johns shoe as it had a broard spread across the back of the foot without approaching the areas I was speaking of. This is not about laminitis.
