13
Switched from a flat to a crowned shoe on a big draft horse with a low heel
I had this Percheron cross with a really low heel and a flat foot. For a while, I was just fitting him with a regular flat shoe, thinking it gave enough support. His owner said he was still a little short-strided on the hard ground. Last month, I decided to try a shoe with a good crown, maybe a quarter inch of curve across the bottom. The difference was night and day. The crowned shoe gave that frog a chance to work and helped lift the back of the foot just enough. I saw him move a week later, and his stride was longer and he just looked more comfortable. It made me think about how the shoe's shape can really help the foot do its job, not just cover it. Has anyone else had a case where a simple shoe shape change made that much of a difference?
2 comments