Q: The
Vet says bar shoes on the back due to hock issues – wear and tear for a 15
year old Tb who travels close behind.
The farrier says it is better
“not” to use the bar shoes and doesn’t help the hocks – just crushes the
heel in the long run
A: You
didn't give me a lot of specifics here, but I will give you a few
generalizations that may help clarify the situation for you.
To relieve hock problems, shoes to
ease breakover will usually be used, such as a rolled toe or squared toe
shoe.
Most horses suffering from bone
spavin and many other hock problems benefit from the stability and heel
support offered by egg bar shoes. Bar shoes do not provide extra heel support
unless they extend farther back than the heels, at least 1/4" depending
on the particular problems to be addressed and what activity the horse is used
for.
A well applied egg bar shoe should
not crush the heels, and in fact egg bars are frequently used to encourage
better heel growth. There is much on our web site already written about egg
bar shoes. Typing "egg bar shoes" in the search box at http://www.americanblacksmith.com/blacksmithstable/horseshoeing_questions-answers.htm will yield
many documents to read.
Frequently, raising the heels will
also provide relief from hock problems. There are many means to accomplish
this including swelled heels, wedge pads, and wedge shoes.
So, depending on the type of bar
shoes your vet recommends, it looks like I probably agree with his
recommendation. Although the vet should be open to discussing the details and even
alternative shoeing styles with the farrier, generally speaking when the vet
issues a shoeing prescription the farrier will want to try to follow it. If it
is beyond the farrier's expertise, he should say so and call in a more
experienced farrier to do the work. Much can be learned by him assisting the
farrier that has been called in and the horse owner should not change farriers
because her farrier calls in someone to help.
If the shoeing as prescribed by the
vet doesn't seem to be working, it can be discussed and changed in subsequent
shoeings.
Sometimes a farrier will refuse to
follow a shoeing prescription on ethical grounds because he sincerely feels
that it is just plain wrong and will do the horse great harm. This puts the
horse owner in a difficult position because she has to decide whose advice to
follow, and a new farrier will have to be found if she decides to go with
the vet's prescription. Frankly, this situation should not arise very often.
Sincerely,
Mary Bayard
Fitzpatrick
American Blacksmith
Murphys, California