Q: I have read several of your articles on egg bar shoes. My horse came up lame and the vet recommended having him shoed at 58 deg with a rocked toe. Well, the guy that shoed my horse did not do what he was told to. Anyway it has caused some problems in the Navicular area. I was told by the vet to have him shoed with a wedge egg bar and do not put pads on him but my farrier insisted to put pads on him. I took him back to the vet and he said to pull the pads out because he did not want pressure on the frog area. My farrier said the first thing to hit the ground should be the frog. Does the frog need pressure applied to relieve the frog or not?
A: Ahh!
The age-old question of frog pressure--necessary or not? As with most things
equine, there is no set or easy answer, but I can give you some rules of thumb
that hopefully will help you sort out your best course of action.
Generally speaking, yes, frog
pressure is good. It aids in circulation, traction and in keeping the heels of
the foot from contracting.
The answer becomes less clear when
you are dealing with an existing problem of the foot. For laminitis, frog
pressure is absolutely necessary and can prevent (and sometimes even correct)
coffin bone rotation or sinking, thereby saving the horse's usefulness and
even its life.
You didn't say what diagnosis your
vet has made, only that you have "problems in the navicular area".
For navicular disease or bruised deep flexor tendon you do not want frog
pressure. Relieving the soreness in the area and the damage already done to
these structures is more important than the general benefits of frog
pressure. For these conditions you will probably want a bar shoe with negative
frog pressure (space between the frog and the ground or bar). A piece of
old hoof rasp welded between the branches of the shoe so that it protects the
frog and navicular area from being struck from below works wonders on
many horses with navicular problems. See the shoeing description in http://www.americanblacksmith.com/blacksmithstable/navicular-small_feet.htm .
If I am interpreting what you
have told me correctly, I'm afraid I'd have to agree with your vet. You need
to avoid frog pressure. If the problem is one of bruising and will clear up in
time, you will be able to return your horse to positive frog pressure when he
is pain and inflammation free. If he actually has navicular disease you
may need to protect the frog and avoid pressure on it permanently, and live
with the consequences.
Your farrier can buy wedged egg
bar shoes if he doesn't want to or can't make them himself. You could
also consider the dropped down egg bar shoe which is pictured in several
places on the web site, including http://www.americanblacksmith.com/blacksmithstable/bowed_tendon_on_hind_leg.htm .
If you decide to go with the rasp piece as the bar so it can protect the frog,
a normal wedge shoe will suffice.
In deciding which shoe to use, you
should consider that the egg bar helps relieve tendon stress by offering
support further back. The best shoe will depend, of course, on the individual
horse's problems.
Rocking the toes on most horses is a
good idea. It eases breakover, and thus lessens tendon strain, and is helpful
for many conditions, minor and major.
Sincerely,
Mary Bayard
The American Blacksmith
Murphys, California
Murphys, California