Why do you put pads on your horse’s feet ? A farrier at my barn told a girl with a very foot sore horse that the pads would cause more problems than they would solve. I disagree !
Because my OTTB had scary thin soles (and actually fractured his coffin bone on a rock walking around a small paddock) - pour in pads/shoes protected his feet while he was growing better feet and more sole…
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I suppose it depends on why the horse is foot sore. When I bought one of my horses, the previous owner said that he always had to have pads on because he had a low sole and would bruise himself and be lame without them. The only problem this horse had was the farrier who had been shoeing him. He had WAY too much toe and not enough heel. Which in turn did make his sole rather low and susceptible to brusing. After 6 months of my farrier backing up the toe and allowing his heel to grow he never needed pads on his feet again. On the other hand, there is a horse at my barn now who just recently ripped a shoe off of his right front and decided to take a good hunk of hoof with it. He is incredibly foot sore and ouchy on it right now. One farrier attempted to put a pad on it, but he was worse not better. A second farrier was consulted and the horse is now much more comfortable without the pad. His sole was very soft and the pad was just putting more pressure on it. So again, I think every situation is different. Perhaps you could be a bit more specific about the nature of the foot soreness in your friend’s horse…
[QUOTE=IrishDeclan;6364665]
One farrier attempted to put a pad on it, but he was worse not better. A second farrier was consulted and the horse is now much more comfortable without the pad. His sole was very soft and the pad was just putting more pressure on it. [/QUOTE]
IMO/IME the mistake the first farrier made was not using two pads. A narrow width rim pad closest to the hoof, then a full pad below it, next to the shoe. And I would have packed that hoof with Magic Cushion Extreme and a light layer of Oakum. ymmv.
Why do you put pads on your horse’s feet ? A farrier at my barn told a girl with a very foot sore horse that the pads would cause more problems than they would solve. I disagree !
I may pad horses for various reasons. The most common are plain pads for just adding extra protection to thin or bruised soles. ‘Bar pads’ to support the frog and maybe wedge the foot. Rim pads sometimes to get more clearance off a sole.
Wedge pads to change hoof angle.
Frog support pads to assist the frog to support the bones inside the foot even with a thick shoe on the foot.
Perforated pads to use a pour in sole support material.
Pads used on a correctly trimmed hoof can be very beneficial when they are needed, and with medicated sole packing underneath do not cause harm. Shoers who think otherwise are misinformed .
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One of our horses has sidetone. Vet and farrier agreed that bar shoes with pads would be helpful. He’s currently in them and sound.
FOR example I just got this horse added to my clientelle this week. He wears pads. If he did not, he could not walk at all.
Agree with Patti. In the right situations, used correctly…they are wonderful. I was always “anti-pad” for some of the reasons posted in this thread. Not anymore. There is a time and place for pads. Finding someone who actually knows how to use them and when is the key!
My horse over the years has been in wedge pads to get the right angle, given that he seems to have a hard time growing heel. He is not in them now and he is fine, but if he ever had that problem again I would not hesitate to use them.
I put pads on my mare for the 25 mile LD I did in April because we were trotting 25 miles and a lot of it over gravel-ly, rocky terrain. I put them on a couple weeks ahead of the race to see how she went in them and took them off shortly after as she doesn’t need them on a normal basis.
I have a thin soled TB that bruises if he even looks at a rock. Pads mean the difference between constant lameness and being consistently sound. He’s shod with aluminums, leather pads and pour in silicone.
[QUOTE=Rick Burten;6364758]
IMO/IME the mistake the first farrier made was not using two pads. A narrow width rim pad closest to the hoof, then a full pad below it, next to the shoe. And I would have packed that hoof with Magic Cushion Extreme and a light layer of Oakum. ymmv.[/QUOTE]
hey Rick in your sig line what is RFL ?
Tamara
[QUOTE=qhwpmare;6364578]
Why do you put pads on your horse’s feet ? A farrier at my barn told a girl with a very foot sore horse that the pads would cause more problems than they would solve. I disagree ![/QUOTE]
pads are the difference between me going barefoot most of my life and having rock hard Hobbit Feet as Himself calls them;)
and the feet of Himself that never see daylight unless he’s going to bed or in the shower :lol:
that said, the wrong shoes play havoc with my back and I spend all the weather allowed time in sandals unless I am in one of the barns where safety or poop require their use:)
Tamara
[QUOTE=Tamara in TN;6367262]
hey Rick in your sig line what is RFL ?
Tamara[/QUOTE]
Rick’s First Law aka: It Depends 
[QUOTE=Rick Burten;6367376]
Rick’s First Law aka: It Depends :)[/QUOTE]
you’re so funny
have a great day:)
Tamara
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