Why does nobody talk about the old way to set a shoe for a horse with a dropped sole?

I keep seeing new guys just slap a pad under a regular shoe and call it good. That's a quick fix, not a real fix. Back when I learned from old Jim in Kentucky, he taught me to shape the shoe to the foot's real shape, not the ground. You have to build up the support under the sole with the shoe itself, not just hide the problem. I saw a horse last month that was still lame after a pad job, and when I pulled the shoe, the sole was just as flat and sore. It took me three hours to get the right fit with a wide web shoe and careful shaping. How do you all handle a true dropped sole without just covering it up?

2 comments

2 Comments

holly_young3510h ago

Okay but is it always that big of a deal? Sometimes a pad does the job just fine if the horse isn't showing any pain. Not every horse needs a three hour custom shoe job. Old ways aren't always the best ways just because they're old. It sounds like you're making a simple problem way more complicated than it needs to be.

fionak631h ago

Pads can mask real problems until they're way worse.