Wedge pads behind to help horse who rests his weight on hind end?

[LearningBearWithMe]

Hi there. Looking for insights/experience with using wedge pads on back feet for this particular issue. I have searched other threads and gleaned what I could from those, but didn’t see any on wedge pads for this specific use. My vet (whom I primarily use for chiro/acupuncture, and has more of a holistic lean), thinks my gelding’s SI region and hips are very sore primarily because when resting/standing, he is resting most of his weight on his hind legs, rather than his front legs as his body is intended for. (This is probably a habit he developed when he had a suspensory injury to his RF, and resting weight there was uncomfortable.)

The theory is that putting 1 degree wedge pads (with frog support) on his hind feet for 3-4 shoeing cycles will force him to rest his weight back on his front end, therefore alleviating the pressure and soreness on his SI and giving it a chance to rest.

Has anyone had experience with this particular issue and/or using wedge pads to resolve it? Positive or negative experiences?

Thanks!!

[Angela_Freda]

We did that to ease the strain on my horses hind legs when his fetlocks dropped from DSLD. First we used a wedge aluminum shoe, but the price was too much, so we went to lift pads under a regular shoe.
It worked in our case, giving my horse relief such that he was comfortably retired 6 years with those horrific hind legs…

[findeight]

Have you ultra sounded that suspensory recently, meaning the last few months? Before putting wedges on, I’d make sure he’s completely healed and/or hasn’t reinjured-and just because he’s not limping doesn’t mean it’s not bothering him. Forcing him to rebalance forward if it’s still bothering him might make things worse instead of better.

Suspensories are notorious for not completely healing despite the horse appearing sound or reinjury.

[Simkie]

[QUOTE=findeight;8752336]
Have you ultra sounded that suspensory recently, meaning the last few months? Before putting wedges on, I’d make sure he’s completely healed and/or hasn’t reinjured-and just because he’s not limping doesn’t mean it’s not bothering him. Forcing him to rebalance forward if it’s still bothering him might make things worse instead of better.

Suspensories are notorious for not completely healing despite the horse appearing sound or reinjury.[/QUOTE]

Totally agree. If the horse is unweighting his front end to the point of causing damage to his hind, then it’s pretty likely there’s still something going on in front. Forcing him to stand on the front end more may cause the whole thing to totally fall apart.

I’m dubious that a horse would ever carry enough weight behind to harm himself solely out of habit. I think he’s really trying to tell you something is still not right up there.

[LearningBearWithMe]

yes, did ultrasound

[QUOTE=findeight;8752336]
Have you ultra sounded that suspensory recently, meaning the last few months? Before putting wedges on, I’d make sure he’s completely healed and/or hasn’t reinjured-and just because he’s not limping doesn’t mean it’s not bothering him. Forcing him to rebalance forward if it’s still bothering him might make things worse instead of better.

Suspensories are notorious for not completely healing despite the horse appearing sound or reinjury.[/QUOTE]

Thanks findeight; did ultrasound as recently as 4 weeks ago to confirm complete healing. He was brought back very slowly and shows no signs of discomfort other than just resting on his hind end when standing. While ridden, he is only too happy to take the weight off that hind end and get heavy up front no:

[LearningBearWithMe]

[QUOTE=Simkie;8752357]
Totally agree. If the horse is unweighting his front end to the point of causing damage to his hind, then it’s pretty likely there’s still something going on in front. Forcing him to stand on the front end more may cause the whole thing to totally fall apart.

I’m dubious that a horse would ever carry enough weight behind to harm himself solely out of habit. I think he’s really trying to tell you something is still not right up there.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, Simkie (and findeight). That makes sense to me…unfortunately.:no:

[LearningBearWithMe]

[QUOTE=Angela Freda;8752231]
We did that to ease the strain on my horses hind legs when his fetlocks dropped from DSLD. First we used a wedge aluminum shoe, but the price was too much, so we went to lift pads under a regular shoe.
It worked in our case, giving my horse relief such that he was comfortably retired 6 years with those horrific hind legs…[/QUOTE]

Thanks, Angela!

[Palm_Beach]

Aluminum horse shoes are really not that expensive, and you should be able to get at least 1 reset out of them. The ones I am currently using are $42.25 a pair.

http://www.grandcircuitinc.com/catalog/horseshoes-aluminum

It costs no more to nail on an aluminum shoe than it does a steel shoe, so the farrier should only be charging the regular cost plus increase in shoe price.

[JBD]

I too think it might be a mistake to force weight distribution with shoeing. If his hind quarters were sore as a result of favoring the fronts while healing the suspensory issue, don’t you think he would automatically start putting more weight on the fronts once they were healed?
My guess is that the front still hurts worse than the rear. For whatever reason.

[LearningBearWithMe]

Thanks, all. It sounds like I need to go back to the drawing board to figure out why he’s still trying to take the weight off that front so much before I make the shoeing change. Appreciate your insights.

[LarkspurCO]

I’ve had better luck with wedge shoes versus wedge pads. They’re more stable and less likely to allow the hoof to sheer forward, and you can roll the heels to ease the impact on landing.

There are wedged hind pattern steel shoes available. One of mine goes well in these on the hinds with the heels rolled (important). When trimmed and set correctly they made him noticeably more comfortable (when toes too long, not so much).

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B39vI8RGIbeqMFFRNDNHU3BVR00/view?usp=sharing

@Palm Beach;8752407

Aluminum horse shoes are really not that expensive, and you should be able to get at least 1 reset out of them. The ones I am currently using are $42.25 a pair.

http://www.grandcircuitinc.com/catalog/horseshoes-aluminum

You are getting resets out of these? Wow, lucky you. I’ve never gotten a reset out of any aluminum shoe, including the Grand Circuit T, Morrison Open Roller, and several variations of Natural Balance shoes. They’re always worn to snot.

[findeight]

You might want to have the vet block the fronts starting bottom up. Many owners spend more money treating what’s not wrong trying to avoid a bigger vet bill then they would have spent starting with a complete lamness exam with blocks.

[joiedevie99]

I agree with findeight. Get a lameness vet out and see if you can pinpoint the pain. If you’ve got back and/or SI pain and nothing in the legs blocks out, I’d consider treating that directly rather than forcing the horse to change his stance.