equi pak for a thin soled horse

[Oskar]

Has anyone had issues with using equi pak on a thin soled horse? Sole pressure?
My tb gelding has a thin sole and a thin wall. I have had xrays taken and there is nothing wrong inside his foot, but he is very often foot sore after being shod. The vet suggested putting a plastic pad on and some harder acrylic along the bars of his foot for added support. My farrier decided that we should try using equi pak with mesh instead. He is still sore and I am thinking that it might be sole pressure. He did have a bruising in his toe area. Common sense to me would suggest that b/c the equi pak adheres to the sole it is causing more discomfort where there is bruising b/c of pressure.

Anyone else have this issue with equi pak??

[kelsey97]

Equi pak is wonderful I had a TB with the same feet, soles so thin if he stepped on anything he’d limp and got stone bruises all the time. The equi pak was wonderful for him, like he was wearing sneakers instead of running around barefoot.

Your guy may be sore because he has a bruise, the equip pak could be pressing on it. Is he always foot sore after shoeing? Like every time?

Any farriers on COTH this morning?

[Patty_Stiller]

There are ways to apply the Eqipack to mold it in an arched shape on the ground side , rather than filling the foot flat to the ground. That will still support the structures inside the rear portion of the foot while also protectng the whole sole. Equithane company makes thin styrofoam sheets with adhesive on them for application of their sole products that can be used this way. But I just make a sheet of duct tape strips and cover the bottom of the foot. Then as the foot is filled with equipack I press my palm into twe duct tape mold to curve it upward the toward horses sole and hold it while the material sets. Or you can make a ‘dam’ of duct tape across the foot and only fill the part over the frog, leaving the front half of the sole uncovered. I do that a lot and it is cheaper, too.

[drifter99]

I had a gelding that we used this on and my farrier would pack the area around the frog with a dental impression material.

One time he used some that was denser than the one he was using and that caused pressure and made my horse sore. Once he re set him with the not so sense dental impression material he was fine.

You can also cup out the material so it isnt flush with the bottom of the hoof.

[fernwolf]

I used to have the same thin sole problem with my horse. If you ever want to try a different route, look up HoofArmor. It is amazing. It took a longer time for my horse to respond but she went from not being able to walk on my limestone road to cantering over the same road - without shoes or boots.

[Hampton_Bay]

Pricey option, but you might try Eponas. They work really well for tender hooves.

If he’s sore after every trim though, it could be your farrier…

[Melissa.Van_Doren]

I’ve only had good experiences with EquiPak. My farrier applies as Patti suggests.

If your horse’s soles are very thin, is your farrier being careful with the hoof knife? Except for the very minimal-when-necessary trimming of the bars, my farrier doesn’t touch the sole with his knife. It’s so easy to take off those precious millimeters! Even a rasp applied too vigorously to the sole can mean the difference between comfortable and sore for a horse with truly thin soles. You can’t make it thicker by shaving it down.

[LookmaNohands]

I have a horse with difficult feet. One of the problems he has had is thin soles–he has had other problems as well. Have you thought of keeping ALL sole pressure off and, instead, adding frog pressure?

My horse cannot take sole pressure. After regenerative therapy on one sole last year (after years of problems) we got to the point at the beginning of the summer where we took his shoes off. When he was in his stall (he is bedded on straw to keep sawdust from packing in his hooves) he was barefoot and had boots on when turned out (Renegade boots are AWESOME!)

We did this for a month and he DEVELOPED A THICKER SOLE!!!

He has had shoes on for a few weeks now but we will try taking them off again when the ground gets softer this fall. In the mean time when he is in, a put Soft Ride boots on him. These have a soft frog pad in them and so puts a bit of pressure there. The idea being that this will help him develop a bit of a “cup” to his foot as they are very flat right now. I decided against heart bar shoes (one thought) because it would be constant frog pressure and I wasn’t sure he could handle that yet.

So maybe some of this would help your boy?

[Clark]

I am using EquiPack and has allowed my Arab to run like he used to without getting sore. He had laminitis and both farrier and vet recommended it. Seemed weird to have his front feet all sealed up but it’s been wonderful for him. Like wearing sneakers. After going weeks with discomfort, it was actually a different vet who happened to be there and recommended it. My regular vet didn’t even suggest ot thinking it would put pressure on his soles too much but it doesn’t. He seems so comfortable now.