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Foot Balance and Corrective Shoeing
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Most hoof imbalance is caused by poor leg conformation. The hoof distorts because of the uneven loading of pressure from above. Judicious shoeing may maintain soundness in a horse with poor conformation, but it will not alter the limb of a mature horse. The farrier needs to be aware at each shoeing of any hoof distortion so that he can reshape the foot and bring it back into alignment.
Assessment of Balance
Static Hoof Balance
Anterior view - this means looking at the foot and limb at rest, from the front. The front limbs should be assessed looking down the spinal axis of the horse and from the front of each individual limb ( i.e. the way the foot is pointing,). A vertical axis through the centre of the cannon bone should bisect the hoof into two equal halves. The hoof wall should be at the same angle on both sides. The wall should not flare out or run under. If the coronary band is not horizontal it should not be the farrier’s primary objective to level it. Distortion of the coronary band and bulbs of the heel occur due to movement and uneven compression, just levelling them will usually increase the uneven stress and worsen the distortion.
The Long Axis - looking down the long axis of the cannon, pastern and hoof capsule (eyelining) while the leg is held by the cannon as close to the knee as possible and allowed to hang loosely gives us the best guide to mediolateral balance.
Solar view - looking at the underside of the hoof can tell us a lot about foot balance. The frog is the best guide to the foot's symmetry. If the hoof wall and/or the shoe is not evenly proportioned then the farrier should attempt to re-shape the foot and set the shoe symmetrically around the frog (Figs 1&2). [...]
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