How do you decide where to place the shoe on the foot? Do you set the toe to the leading edge of the wall? Do you set it back?
I would come of the toe with this foot, and give it at least a C fit if not a touch more. I am basing this on only looking at the bottom of the hoof. I am guessing that I would cut about 13 1/4 in of 3/8 x 7/8 concave and roll the toe a touch as well.
Looking at the bottom of that foot I'd say come off the toe also. Then when viewed from the side I'd fit it right to the toe.
I would still come of the toe. It might not be perfect just now. But I think it would better over a six week cycle.
Today is Thursday. so I'm setting it back. I fit to the toe on Fridays, and Tuesdays. On Monday and Wednesday I flip a coin.
My thought is the farther that foot gets in front of itself the heels will colapse more. So I think I might have a healthier hoof in six weeks with coming off the toe. I could be way of. Its happened before.
Eric, I would put a Rocker toe on this horse. It will move his breakover back a bit and still have wall support at the toe. After a few shoeings, that foot will start to come around.
After seeing the side pic. I would go with a rolled or rocker toe also, did you float the foot in the area of the crack and use a bar shoe?
I fit the breakover on the shoe to where I want the foot to breakover. If a foot is very distorted the shoe sets back. If the foot is in good shape it fits the wall. Eric nice forum. Glad to be aboard. George
Eric, I would be as concerned about the crack as I am over the slight bull nose and the set under heels. The stress rings tell me there has been continuous stress on this hoof wall for a while. Right or wrong this is what I would do. Trim without shoeing; I would bring the heels back and then bevel the toe. By beveling I am giving it a rolled toe and also setting back the break over point and relieving the stress on the hoof wall. I would also put some weight bearing on the frog. Put your file on the heels and it should teeter ever so slightly so as it rolls over the frog. I am looking for compression not total weight bearing. That needs to be covered over the whole foot. Walls and support system (flexation) The old addage of use it or loose it applies here. Morgans and 5 and 3 gaited ended up with contraction cause in many cases they had no frog pressure. Post 13 shows one wall thicker than the other , it also shows contracted heels and the contraction has also affected the frog. Also the wall fracture on one wall and the crack on the opposite wall suggest to me the hoof had a flair acting as a lever and was pushing it to one side causeing stress of different forms on each side of the hoof walls. The foot was not balanced ? The way the toe of the hoof is filed also leads me to believe the shoe that the on this horse was possibly set under the hoof and then the wall was filed back to meet the shoe, causing the bull nose I see. I would rasp the wall clean and over time rasp the wall straight so as to give equal structural support all around the hoof. Lay your file edge ways on the wall (it should be as straight as possible and take off as much material with out compromising structural wall strength.) you wouldn't want a bowed 2 x 4 to support your roof or other structure . Shoeing; I would clean the walls eliminating deformities,flairs and when done would have equal wall thickness (seen from the bottom of the hoof) I wouldcontinue to rocker the toe on this foot for a while anyway to relieve stress. In the old days a rubber ball/ spring/ and other devises were added to help correct contraction. I think mild constant frog pressure will do the same over time. Could be done with a built up frog pad or something else but put that frog back to work. The heels of the shoe, I am not one for covering the frog. (unless a bar shoe) There are many things that done with the heels to fashion for support. Floating the heels works because the hoof always reaches for the ground. Over time, Key word time this can do a world of good. Here I am babbling. I am a draft horse shoer, what does a drafter know compared to you artisians of the light horse world....
