Managing Flat-soled Horses
- No knife!
- Trim as little as possible from the underside of the foot
- Take the toe back from the front of the foot, not the underside
- Support the foot
- Move the base caudally by rasping the heels back to the widest part of the frog
- Consider thorough heel support; grind down the solar surface of the shoe so that the shoe is not putting pressure on the sole
- Support and protect the sole by using the impression material of your choice packed into the underside of the foot once the shoe has been set; if nothing else, fill the lateral commissures (sulci) of the frog
- Keep the shoeing interval short (e.g. 4 - 5 weeks), and be consistent - increasing the interval between trims will not result in the horse growing a stronger hoof wall
- Manage any flaring of the wall and confine the wall with an appropriate sized shoe (with or without clips)
- Minimize chipping and breaking of the wall by controlling large changes in hoof moisture
- Take the horse off pasture during wet conditions
- Have the owner regularly apply a hoof protectant (not hoof softener) to the lower 1/3 of the wall (from the nail holes down)
- Encourage the owner to reduce the horse's body weight, if overweight
- Taking the horse off pasture, using a muzzle, or decreasing pasture access is a big help (it also helps control changes in hoof moisture)
- Minimal grain
- Daily exercise is also important