Here's one from yesterday. I use quite a few NB shoes, both steel and aluminum. This is a new WP horse that just arrived at the barn. The first photo is how his feet were when he first arrived. The second photo is after being shod with an aluminum NB wedge shoe.
Chris, I edited my post for you. Perhaps now it makes more sense? What I was driving at in the orignal post was that the horse arrived with what I feel to be a very poor shoe job done by someone who didn't really know how to properly apply a natural balance shoe. The "after" photo is the same horse shod with the same type of shoe as in the first photo. I feel my job is better than the other one pictured. So what I meant with my depends comment was what everyone else has been saying in this thread: Natural Balance shoes have their place in the toolbox as long as they are used properly. If they aren't proplerly applied, or used in the proper situation, they have no benefit over any other improperly applied/used shoe.
i know the photo angles are not ideal but the feet are not a pair in the heel height or toe length , the feet need backing up IMO and the nailing on , well ?
Thank you. First off, yes, my nailing is not at its best here. Not that it matters, but in my defense, that horse can't pick its left leg up high enough for me to actually stand underneath him so nailing was much trickier for me on that foot. Hence the worse nailing on that foot. Toe length does actually match, as does heel height. I measured . Next time, I will take another look at how much I back these feet up and maybe do it a little more. Thanks for the advice Chris.
Veterinarian diagnosed this horse with navicular and recommended this package. I put this on at the vet's request and he is currently still showing and moving pain free. So I'm told. In hindsight, I should not have ridiculed another's work, as I was told that the same package I applied had been helping make this horse comfortable when applied by the previous farrier as well. For that I apologize.
If he's moving pain free why can't he pick his leg up to be shod. The looks like quite a bit more could be done with those feet. Typical NB job blown out toe quarters. Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
David you shouldn't have because now that I've reread that it sounds ridiculous. Here's all I know about this horse: It just showed up at the barn and this was the first time I'd worked on it. I was told that he does well in these shoes and so that's what I put back on him. He's an older horse, I don't remember exactly, but something like 18 maybe. The thing with his leg is that he's really stiff, particularly so on his left front. I couldn't get him to hold his leg high enough for me to get underneath him for more than a few seconds. All this horse does now is pack little girls around an arena a few days a week and the rest of the time he's turned out. I thought his feet were in really poor shape when he showed up and I felt pretty good with the work I'd done on him. I realize I don't have quite the discerning eye that most everyone else on this forum does, but overall, I still feel pretty good about it. I really would appreciate input from others though as to what I could do better next time. Perhaps after getting some input, next time I shoe this horse I could take more photos and you all could see if I do any better. I would enjoy some constructive criticism but there's really no need to be snide and rude about things.
"that a he is currently still showing and moving pain free. So I'm told." huh? Do you boys know a horse has to have at least 1 sound leg if he's to be able to limp?
I just tore apart a shoeing that someone who's learning asked for advice on their work. I didn't have much good to say about it. They could have just told me to take a hike, but they went out and reshod the horse today (before it was due). Still not perfect, but much improved. I've noticed over the years in many aspects of life, that the ones who can take the crap get along much better. Here on the forums, the ones who took the most shit, and hung in, made the most progress. As to the job you posted, it's hard to tell a difference with the photos provided. It doesn't look too dramatically different. The first guy sure had a consistantly zig zag nail job though. What is so magic about an NB shoe that it has to be prescribed by a vet? I see it out here too. Don't know why it's lame? Diagnose nivicular and prescribe NB.
Well if that's the case then bring it on. So far on the list of improvements is: make sure to match toe/heel length (not using my elastic tape measure) back them up a bit more, and improve the nailing. What else?
Can't really tell much from the photos, but it always 'Depends'. Making the toes the same length on one horse may cure it, on another, it may go lame. Depends. I was told early on that if I shod two horses the same, one was done wrong. Now I think that if two feet are shod the same, one's wrong. Then the opinions and details begin.
Ryan I m not being rude but there is nothing really right with your job and nothing really wrong either. I urge anyone who uses others advice to try and learn from there reasons for doing something. Your vet prescribed natural balance shoes, ask him why? ask him what aspects of the shoe will aid this horse and its SPECIFIC problems. If he can then great, if he cant then you must learn yourself. Now i am a fan of these forums because you can have fun and impart knowledge to each other, but I dont have the typing skills to tell you where to begin on this subject. 1) you do seem to have some basic skills. 2)You dont seem to have an appreciation of shoe placement. Without being able to marry the two together then you will at best not improve conditions and at worst you will either accelerate pathology or heaven forbid cause it. I would start by researching the center of rotation and shoe placement on the foot to bisect this point. Google Duckett versus Russel. Also Grant Moon has many Mustad you tubes that give you land marks to fit and trim to. Here is a job my apprentice did a couple of years ago on a dead leg. with a combination of trimming and fitting the foot was enhanced. I dont understand how your shoe placement has improved that horse unless the problem was the previous shoeing job was digging in the heels and causing soft tissue pressure.
David, I think what you've posted is good work, but you misrepresent it as being centered on the COA. It is not. There as plenty of very high quality horseshoeing done by many professionals on a daily basis that isn't centered below the COA and horses seem to get along just fine with it. But if you're going to teach other people to place the shoe centered below the COA then PLEASE learn how to find the COA yourself and stop looking at Grant Moon videos on the topic 'cause he doesn't have a handle on it either. Start using radiographs to check your work until you can consistently find external references that work reliably for you.
