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Discussion on Contracted Heels...Club Feet or "Natural Balance"
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Member:
Aeowen
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Posted on Tuesday, May 13, 2003 - 7:03 pm:
Been working at this barn for awhile - the farrier of the barn is a big believer in the "Natural Balance" (is that what it's called? It's been a long day) shoe. What I'm finding however, is that most of the horses are getting shod the whole way to looking clubby, and one guy, after the hooves got long, looks to have severely contracted heels (his frog clefts look to be at least 3-4" deep - he's a big horse, but I'm pretty sure they aren't supposed to be that deep).
I'm not sure if I'm posting in the right place, but has anyone else had this sort of thing happen with any of these "new-fangled" "old-fangled" trimming methods?
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Wednesday, May 14, 2003 - 6:14 am:
Hello Bevin,
While this system does result in a shorter foot with a squared off toe, club foot refers to the angel the hoof (more appropriately the coffin bone) makes with the pastern. Abnormal hoof pastern alignment are not a part of the natural balance system nor should contracted heels result. For more on this see the articles » Care for Horses » Hoof Care » Trimming and Preparing the Feet for Shoes.
DrO
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Member:
Suzeb
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Posted on Wednesday, May 14, 2003 - 7:51 pm:
Hello Bevin,
For an in depth view of this new fangled way of trimming and shoeing horses, you can visit www.hopeforsoundness.com. It pretty much explains what this farrier is doing. The only thing I might add is that the farrier should be well trained in the application of this method to have success. Dr. O's article is also very good. Susan B.
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