My last discussions I identified sheared heels and the associated risks, if you missed that article I suggest you read it, now let’s get the fix I promised.

If your horse has sheared heels there are several fixes. In either case the toe of the foot should most likely be moved to the rear of the horse – in other words when the shoe is put on slide the shoe more to the rear of the foot then rasp the extra toe back to the shoe. You can move the shoe back very close to the white line if necessary. For one this will help the horse break over more easily and reduce all the stresses on tendons joints and ligaments but it will also help reduce the hoof stretch and drift you’ll usually find as a toe grows forward. This stops the heels from shearing more as well “usually”.

Owning a horse is a huge responsibility. One of the most important issues of ownership is the prevention of lameness. If your horse comes up permanently lame the fun is over. Vet bills, therapy, wasted time in rehab, can all take the fun out of owning horses.

Correct horseshoeing is an absolute must. Finding the right Farrier is crucial if you want to exercise “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” and keep your equine friend free from lameness throughout its life.

Horses chew, we all know that, but if you’ve ever watched horses out in pasture they’ll perform types of grooming and bonding rituals with their teeth. Take a look sometimes and you’ll notice many times horses standing together while one is almost seemingly biting the flesh of the other. They’ll grab a little bunch of flesh and in a careful way kind of nip away with a little tug of the skin. This is very common and it’s a cooperative event where one horse allows the other. I’m quite sure I wouldn’t discourage such behavior amongst horses.

Bowed tendons on a horse can be murder. The deep flexor tendon between the knee and the pastern joint blows due to excessive stress and stretch. It’s a long recovery process sometimes leaving a blemish.

There can be several elements that can all contribute to this problem. Hard work is surely one while incorrect shoeing the other. A quick look at race horses and how prevalent bowed tendons occur can give you some clues to a deeper understanding into this issue. Race horses are definitely worked hard – at the end of the race horses are completely exhausted. In this condition of exhaustion and fatigue the muscles of the body are not carrying the horse in the most optimum manner-hence a breakdown.

Do you wonder whether or not your horse should be hot shod or perhaps what if any are the benefits or advantages of hot shoeing and maybe even if it’s necessary at all?

Hot shoeing is the application of heat to the shoe then pressing the hot shoe onto the hoof wall of the horse. Like many things related to horseshoeing hot shoeing is a controversial subject. A usual question about hot shoeing is “Does that hurt the horse”?

Farriers can have it very tough. The occupation is very physically demanding and there are risks of injury. Being kicked by a horse is not to be taken lightly, I personally know of Farriers who have died from kicks and others having broken bones. Nails in horse’s feet will rip through the farriers flesh as easy as a hot knife through butter. Horses jerk legs while working on them and sit and lean and try everything sometimes in an effort to dislodge the Farrier from his work.

First let’s define what sheared heels are. Sheared heels are when the heel of the horse’s foot grows forward toward the toe. Instead of there being support for the foot in the heel area where the horse needs it support is reduced – the heels have grown forward and there’s no foot (heel) to provide the support for the horse’s foot.