# Flat footed-questions



## angelbkm212 (Aug 27, 2013)

You need to find an experienced farrier and ask him what his opinion is. Most good farriers will have a suitable treatment plan for his feet, but i think for now shoes woiuld be the best thing. There are shoes called easywalkers that i love to use they are much more natural on the horses feet, the only thing is that not all farriers are trained to put them on, so you might need to call around a bit
That thing on the shoe that presses on the frog is designed to stimulate blood flow and growth and to stop the frog becoming 'soft' so it strengthens the horses feet until they are string enough to go barefoot. Worked amazingly for my OTTB mare


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## WonderfulWarmbloods (Sep 24, 2013)

I PERSONALLY hate shoes.
If a horse doesn't need them, don't put them on him.
Period. 
They ruin a horses' hoof, completely.

Find a GOOD natural barefoot trimmer. My mare had flat feet after she HAD to wear shoes for a broken coffin bone for 9 months. The shoes destroyed her feet. As all shoes do. 


The thing is, with a flat foot, you want to create concavity in the sole, so instead of your horse walking on it's frog and it's sole, it's only walking on the frog and the outside hoof wall.
If you'd like, message me and I will be *MORE* than happy to inform you about shoes on horses and what damage they do to a horses hoof. all of my mares are barefoot, even my OTTB mares, and yes, the one who had a broken foot is 100% sound barefoot as well.

Shoes are not necessary.
People are going to tell you that the first thing you should do is go right to a farrier that will hammer a metal plate to your horses hoof. WRONG.

Unless your horse has navicular (even in some cases they don't need them to be sound) DON'T SHOE HIM.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Some horses, bc of breeding of bad animal husbandry by a prevous owner have or develop bad or injured hooves, including the frogs.
Shoeing and a good farrier can repair a lot of problems and keep a horse with poor hooves performing.
If you don't ride a horse with good feet that often, than go barefoot all year, and just do regular trimming. I do that, but when I go to ride on rocky terrain, I shoe ALL of my horses. I always have, even though "Corporal" (1982-2009,RIP) my Arabian, had feet like a Mustang.
I agree with having your farrier figure out what to do to remedy this.
Re: "flat-footed-ness"
Your horse does have hoof problems. If he has a good conformation and good feet he would have a spring that makes him comfortable and collection would improve this. Poor hooves remove that spring.
If he has poor conformation and good feet the trot is choppy and the canter can feel like a ship at sea. Even with sensitive feet, it isn't always the feet.


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## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

> Shoes are not necessary.
> People are going to tell you that the first thing you should do is go right to a farrier that will hammer a metal plate to your horses hoof. WRONG.


 do you believe that for people as well? after all, shoes are unnatural. Purhaps we as a species, who have been wearing shoes for hundreds of years, should ditch them immediately. we should be fine walking on gravel and concrete every day, we will adapt and revert back to our natural shoeless state....:shock: WonderfulWarmbloods, I do agree with you to an extent, but I believe balance is needed.

My mare is barefoot 10 months of the year. my filly is barefoot all the time, and wont get shoes unless she needs them. In late summer I'm riding enough miles that I wear her hoof off faster than she can grow it, so she gets shod. I can promise you, her feet do not deteriorate. I prefer barefoot myself, and all but one horse on the farm are barefoot at least 8 months out of the year, and 10 of those are ottb's.

That said, some horses need shoes, due to injuries, absess damage, how the horse is being used, or even very poor breeding. People have been breeding for specific traits for thousands of years, and in the quest for the most beautiful head, the fastest sprint and the prettiest colors, feet have often been forgotten. A few trims from a magical barefoot farrier cannot fix a hundred years of poor breeding, and shoes may be needed to keep the horse comfortable and useful.


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## jumanji321 (Dec 1, 2010)

My mare is one of those who needs shoes because of breeding. She was barefoot until she was about 5 and the soles of her hooves are very thin. She had pretty bad bruising and she had front shoes on until last year when her hoof growth couldn't keep up with my riding. Now she's shod on all fours. I would prefer her to be barefoot, but she's in shoes for her comfort.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

General statements:
The frog should be level with the walls.
The sole should not be level with the walls, except the toe callus and a "rim."

Can it be fixed by farrier work? Possibly, even probably, but there is no way to know without hands on. So find a farrier or trimmer that you know and trust or one that comes well recommended from people who have horses with feet that you like.

Short term correction? I'm not sure what you are asking. Is there a short term correction? Well, again without seeing the horse, who can say? Probably. But, maybe not. It may require some rehabilitation time.

Shoes? Are an option, but not necessarily the only way to go. Again, dependent on the horse. Some horses are just not good barefoot from what I've heard and I believe it. Many horses are fine barefoot all the time. Lots of horses are barefoot most of the time, but are fitted with hoof boots for footings that they are sensitive on.

To get real answers, you need a knowledgeable hoof person to assess the horse. To get better answers from the forum, you need to post a picture of the horse standing square from the side and some of his feet. One of the members here has a great link to what pics are needed. I'll go find it and put it in a separate post here.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Here's the link for hoof critique photos:
*www.all-natural-horse-care.com/good-hoof-photos.html*


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## Janasse (Nov 22, 2008)

I don't like shoes either but I do think they have their place and purpose. I live on very rocky terrain and trail ride on very rocky terrain and my boys are barefoot. However people that trailer their horses to my rocks from their soft pastures almost always need to shoe because their horses feet aren't used to it. Depending on the footing where you are, you may need to shoe temporarily to get good growth for your farrier to work with. My real advice is to Really research farriers in your area. Not all farriers are created equal and just because they graduated does not mean they know what they are doing. I've dealt with so many that take one look at my horses (not their feet) and immediately want to put shoes on when it's not necessary. So please take your time, call around, ask for references ect and make sure you are hiring a farrier with your horse's best interest in mind, not his pocket book.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

It would be nice to see pictures of your new horse's feet, to assess how bad it is or what you might need to do. 

If he's that ouchy right now, you might need to do some shoes initially until he gets some growth. With a good farrier, you may not need to do shoes permanently. 

Either way, a good farrier is a must!



WonderfulWarmbloods said:


> I PERSONALLY hate shoes.
> If a horse doesn't need them, don't put them on him.
> Period.
> *They ruin a horses' hoof, completely.*
> ...


Really. Those are some pretty strong opinions. 

Please, do tell then, how my gelding has been 100% sound since July with a simple 2 degree corrective shoe and pad on his front feet for his issue? (Since you say all shoes ruin horse's hooves.)


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## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

Flat feet are about diet and movement not conformation. Change the diet and a flat foot can grow concavity - my TB has lovely concave hooves all winter, but as soon as the spring grass kicks in they go splat and flat. Excess sugars and starch are often to blame.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

The blanket comments about shoes are incorrect. If applied incorrectly or unnecessarily, they definitely can ruin a hoof. But it is foolish to say that all of them do.
My horse wears four shoes and, shocking, has never been lame. xD

That said, get your farrier's opinion. I don't know enough about feeties to give you all that great of an idea.


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