Hey All! Does anyone here have any experience with the Ultimate Wedge shoes?
They were presented to me recently as a potential solution for a horse I have with chronically thin soles and generally crappy feet.
They’re marketed for horses with laminitis, but my vet has advised that she’s seen them work wonders growing feet (both sole and foot). We’re considering sticking them on for an 8-12 week period - but that obviously comes with time off, and to quote my vet, “a period where you just don’t watch your horse and judge it’s movement”.
Would love to hear any first hand experience with them.
Wow, that is a very big wedge! For “chronically thin soles and generally crappy feet,” my farrier has always had luck with a pad of one form or another, whether it be leather, or plastic with frog support, etc. and likely with a pour in filler for cushion or dental impression material, all of which help sole growth and protect the sole. I would think these shoes you have shown are for severe cases of laminitis, etc.
I can’t imagine putting all that extra pressure of the tip of the coffin bone onto the sole, with this much wedge
What is the alleged mechansim by which this helps grow sole? If it’s because there’s so much “stuff”, then you can do that with proper angles. I have many friends, both farriers and ones who have worked with the farriers, who have grown lots of good sole without changing the angles at all, just things like casts, leather pads, and more.
The hospital that did my horse’s coffin bone surgery suggested these after the second surgery. They did put her in them prior to surgery for a short while (a few days maybe?) and they did give her immediate relief, but she had other, severe, issues besides just thin soles and NPA (which she DID have, to be clear). We did not end up doing these after surgery as we found other things that worked. Shes been in wedge glue on shoes with pour in pads and has grown a ton of sole and her angles have greatly improved.
I’m not familiar with the product. if I was going to try something this unique I’d ask for a referral to a vet recommended farrier that has extensive experience with this specific shoe. I wouldn’t just toss it to a regular farrier and say good luck. The idea that her movement is expected to be bad enough to just “ignore” for 2-3 months would be concerning. If it is the right set up I would expect to see increased comfort, soundness, and range of motion in short order.
Wow. I share the concerns of others here. That’s a LOT. You’re changing a ton about the biomechanics of the entire limb, and not in a good way. Why not try a glue on shoe with a more traditional wedge?
This shoe is intended as an emergency intervention with a narrow use case.
I’ve seen them used on a couple of horses, one had no heels and paper thin soles. Worked well for that horse. I think they did 2 cycles and then started lowering the wedge.
Other horse was laminitis case and imho they made the horse more sore than horse already was.
My previous farrier loved recommending these for horses with long toes and no heels to grow heel.
Correct, she would not be ridden while we’re fixing this.
The alternative option is trying a metal pad, but my vet has advised against soft pads and/or pour in fillers. The thought process is that, while yes - the added pressure generally would help sole growth - she feels that with this particular horse it would feel like walking around with a sock wadded up in your shoe and actually make her worse. The metal pad would provide protection but the potential correction to the foot is a longer process. That is what we’re debating - do we use these and fix it for good, or try the metal pads and see how effective they might be?
FWIW my horse has proper angles. It’s just than instead of the normal 1 cm sole thickness that most horses have, hers is 0.5 cm at best. She has very little heel and her feet want to be very, very flat - think TB feet. We’ve done x-rays confirming all of this as recently as yesterday.
To alleviate concerns, anything we are doing would be with one of the top clinics around, not some podunk farrier and clinic in the middle of no where that generally services cattle. I think the angles are extreme as well, which is why I’m looking for people with first hand experience utilizing them (versus people giving opinions) so I do appreciate the responses from those posters! Always super interesting to explore new ways of solving old problems - especially if they work well long term!
She’s been in glue on shoes for the past year (Easy Shoe Versa Grip Octos). Her feet are continuing to flatten in the glue on shoe and her sole depth is not improving.
I’m not sure why you’d go to such an extreme wedge when a) a glue on shoe has been ineffective and b) you’ve not tried a traditional wedge. Is the same farrier who is doing her now suggesting these?
This is like wearing 6 inch heels full time. They’re designed as a life saving measure for a very acute issue.
Yeah, I’d try to find a middle ground. It sounds like your vet thinks your horse needs something different, so perhaps taking that info to your farrier will result in less extreme and risky options. Best of luck.
These shoes, custom made by Rood &Riddle, saved a severely laminitic horse. They were prescribed by Dr. Scott Morrison. I’d suggest your vet consult with him (or his podiatry group) before your next step (so to speak).
Using this extreme measure for something like thin soles and flat feet seems… well, extreme. You’ve tried a composite, but those can be too flexible for some horses. What about something like a Speed Metal with a traditional wedge? Doing an emergency life saving package on a horse that isn’t foundered seems rather out there. These setups are very risky for the other structures above the hoof, which is why they’re only used as life saving measures. There is a middle ground that it doesn’t sound like you’ve tried.
What does your farrier think? Is your vet a podiatrist or have they consulted with one? I’d be inclined to get a second opinion from a hoof specialist like the one at R&R. Something metal for stability, with a traditional wedge and hard pour-in would do what your vet is saying without going for… that.
It’s easy enough to make a leather rim pad if it doesn’t seem like fillers are the way to go (metal pad seems like an oxymoron). EasyCare also does a composite wedge rim pad, or a wedge can be built up with acrylic direct glue applications. I’ve been trimming my own for a long time, and this year started applying glue-on composites, often using a leather pad. Even though I’ve had trouble keeping the hind shoes on (beginner learning curve), I found that with a leather wedge on an EasyCare Versa, I was able to grow out some weird growth pattern I’d been fighting with on my mare’s LH.
Lack of heel is likely lack of digital cushion, so I would want to maintain some support in the back, even if not doing a full pad. If rigidity is a concern with composite shoes, Duplos have metal inserts. Duplo also offers a mesh piece that can be welded into the middle of the shoe to help hold in DIM or other padding, but excess can squish out better than with a solid pad. I’m actually resetting my mare’s shoes tonight and I’m going to be experimenting with this package in front (Duplo/mesh insert/Luwex soft DIM in front, Duplos with leather wedge in back).
For the soles, Hoof Armor might be another thing to consider. I’ve used it to help reduce wear in areas that I’m striving to build up, and it is super easy to apply.
Disclaimer: I am not a professional HCP, just a horse owner managing my own critters.
I’ve had experience with the Ultimates. Nine years ago my horse had a pretty severe laminitis attack, and the vet put him in Ultimates until the acute attack resolved and he was ready for therapeutic shoeing. They were miraculous for my horse. He instantly went from so sore he could barely stand to perfectly comfortable. He was in the Ultimates for about a month.
One thing my vet told me when we were treating my horse’s laminitis was that what works for one horse won’t necessarily work for another. He said, “We’ll try this and the horse will let us know how it’s working. If he doesn’t like it he’ll tell us, and we’ll try something else.” I think that’s a smart way to approach it. If you trust your vet, why not try what she suggests? If your horse doesn’t like it he/she will let your know, and then you can try something else. And if you don’t trust your vet then find another one, but don’t rely too much on the opinions of people who have never seen your horse or used the Ultimates.
Exactly. I trust my vet, they just are extreme so I wanted some first hand experiences .
We’ll be moving forward with our on the ground team regardless of anonymous internet posts, but I do appreciate those who have responded with their first hand accounts.
What’s the plan after 8-12 weeks on the Ultimates? My horse was transitioned down to flat shoes and finally barefoot very gradually over several months (almost a year, if memory serves). The vet and farrier worked together and slightly decreased the wedge angle at each shoeing, so the foot didn’t go directly from that steep wedge to flat on the ground. After 2-3 months at a steep angle the tendons will be frozen in that position, much as your joint would be frozen after being in a cast. If you haven’t already, be sure to ask your vet about this.
I think the angles are extreme as well, which is why I’m looking for people with first hand experience utilizing them (versus people giving opinions) so I do appreciate the responses from those posters! Always super interesting to explore new ways of solving old problems - especially if they work well long term!
