Horse may need shoe pads for concussion

[blue_phlox_farm]

We have a horse who needs to try pads to absorb the concussion and vibration in his feet and legs from his shod feet going over the hard ground and stamping at flies. (He is not driven on hard roads for hrs, just ridden in a groomed ring and around grass fields. He wears fly boots inside to eliminate fly stomping totally, but can’t wear them out as he removes them in the pasture and then stands and stamps his feet.) Is there anyone that has experience with shoeing with a pad for cushioning vs navicular and such? If so, what did you have success with?

I had a set of front pads for my driving pony yrs ago but they are long gone. They were very flexible and shock absorbing. I wish I could remember the name… got them at the Equine Expo in Harrisburg PA

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Lord_Helpus]

Just get pads. The difference (if any) in price will not be important in the long run. I have a young horse who had never had shoes, but his feet were very sore. Just 3 days ago he had shoes and pads put on, and now he is jumping great. He is no longer afraid of the pain of landing over a jump.

[blue_phlox_farm]

Gel Pads were what I had before for driving pony. Do you know the manufacturer? I’m sure there is a difference in quality from one maker to another, I don’t want to end up with him wearing dollar store pads when he could have done better with nike sneaker pads. I don’t know one brand from the next and I don’t want my farrier to say to use the ones he has on the truck because those are the ones he has on the truck, not necessarily the best for his feet.

[Hilary]

Supracor made a hoof pad a while ago - not sure if they still do, but they were touting them as shock absorbing. My driving pony just gets the plastic rim pads for a bit of extra cushion.

[wildlifer]

I used pour in pads for this, Equipak. I had not had great experience with rubber pads with a previous horse, his feet hated trapped moisture. But the Equipak worked well & it always stayed in the whole cycle. I used it throughout fly season, then left it out in the winter. Did a great job of absorbing concussion for violent fly stomper (even with fly boots), no more bruising!

[gothedistance]

DuraShock pads. I used them for years on my driving pair, plus my Endurance horse. They are pricy, but phenominal. Reusable, and last just about forever. Currently have two of mine using the pads now because of sensitivity to gravel roads.

You can get them at any good farrier supply place, or online.

[S1969]

@blue phlox farm

We have a horse who needs to try pads to absorb the concussion and vibration in his feet and legs from his shod feet going over the hard ground and stamping at flies. (He is not driven on hard roads for hrs, just ridden in a groomed ring and around grass fields. He wears fly boots inside to eliminate fly stomping totally, but can’t wear them out as he removes them in the pasture and then stands and stamps his feet.) Is there anyone that has experience with shoeing with a pad for cushioning vs navicular and such? If so, what did you have success with?

I had a set of front pads for my driving pony yrs ago but they are long gone. They were very flexible and shock absorbing. I wish I could remember the name… got them at the Equine Expo in Harrisburg PA

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

My farrier often uses leather pads. There are lots of options. What does your farrier recommend?

[Natalie]

Pads definitely can help. My farrier prefers leather pads since they still “breathe” a bit and don’t trap moisture as much as synthetic. That said, my horse is in pour-ins right now, per vet recommendation. He does well in them, but they add about $50 to my farrier bill over regular pads. :sigh: He’ll be back in a leather pad as soon as the vet approves (he did well in those as well).

[GoodTimes]

My horse has spent most of his life in pads. He has flat feet and has difficulty growing much sole.
In the winter we can usually just get away with snow pads.
Spring/summer/fall require some degree of pads, pour in, or both.

Usually we stay on top of it so he never gets to the point of being unsound. But I can tell when his feet aren’t 100%. He goes from being the hack winner to middle of the pack. The floaty, springy trot disappears, and the canter stride shortens.

[walkinthewalk]

Another vote for the EquiPak CS Pour In pads.

https://www.vettec.com/en-us/equine/pour-in-pad

My horse has ongoing damage from old founder. My farrier keeps the poor- in pads on him during the months the ground is hard.

This horse has to live mostly in the yard, Yesterday I saw him take a short cut across 50 feet of gravel between the workshop and the barn, to get to a grazing spot. He did so with little effort (he also has an old sacrum injury that he recently re-injured in a bad hail storm). He had just been reset in brand new shoes and pour in pads the day before; The fact he wasn’t foot sore and moving as fluid as his back would allow speaks well to the shoeing and the pads.

I posted the vet tech link as they have several types of pour-ins available. There are a couple of YouTube videos showing a farrier applying the product.

[blue_phlox_farm]

Thank you all for the wealth of information. With the names you provided, I was able to spend my evening last night reading up on pads. Farrier is coming and he casually said he always has leather pads but not sure if his others are “shock absorbing” . So he’s on the same page as me and I at least know what he’s saying instead of just head bobbing “uh huh” when he talks. I’ll update with a post after he gets his feet done.