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Switched to bar shoes for a foundered pony last spring and the difference in 8 weeks was wild | Farriers - HW Forums

Switched to bar shoes for a foundered pony last spring and the difference in 8 weeks was wild

Saw a before and after on a 14 year old Shetland who was basically walking on his heels. Got him in bar shoes with a rolled toe and frog support pads, and by week 8 he was trotting out sound with way better coffin bone angle. Anybody else see big shifts like that from just changing the shoe style?

3 comments

3 Comments

spencer_johnson224mo ago

Overhyped honestly, most of that improvement was just time off and not the shoes doing anything special.

ruby_grant4mo ago

You had him in bar shoes with a rolled toe and frog support? That's pretty much the gold standard for foundered ponies. The key is getting the breakover right and taking pressure off the deep digital flexor tendon. I've seen a few ponies go from barely moving to walking sound in about 6 weeks with a good farrier who knows how to fit those shoes properly. Just make sure the frog pads aren't too thick or you can actually cause more bruising. And keep an eye on those heels, they can crack if the shoe isn't fitted right.

rowan6662mo ago

oh man i gotta push back on this one. i mean idk i've seen just as many ponies get stuck in bar shoes forever and never really improve. the whole gold standard thing feels like a crutch for bad farrier work honestly. if you've got the right trim and the pony gets proper turnout most of them do fine without all that specialized shoeing. i feel like people lean way too hard on the equipment instead of fixing the underlying hoof mechanics. maybe it's just me but i've watched ponies go sound on nothing but barefoot trims and management changes while the ones in bar shoes keep having issues with sole bruising and contracted heels. it's not like those shoes are magic you know.