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DF Grand Prix Lateral Extension Shoe
By Bob Pethick CJF
| In the last issue of The Natural
Angle you saw photos of the new DF Grand Prix shoes from Kerckhaert by Dave
Farley and Bob Pethick. In this issue Bob would like to address the
evaluation of conformation and the application of the lateral extension
shoe. This is a shoe which can help horses perform better and reduce stress
on the joints under load. The wide lateral branch can provide a base of
support for the limb and most importantly flotation in soft footing. The first step in the process is to watch the horse move (Dynamic Balance). Viewing the horse from behind (photo 1) we are looking to see where the hoof capsule loads in relationship to the center of weight bearing. As this horse walks forward you can see the hoof loads inside the center line or is considered to be base-narrow. The second step would be to sight the limb for imbalance or excess growth (Static Balance). When sighting hind limbs, support under the hock (photo 2) and let the limb hang where the horse is comfortable. You will be looking down the hock and cannon bone (photo 3) to the hoof capsule. You can see the outside (lateral) heel quarter has less growth, has become more vertical and closer to the center line due to compression from excess weight bearing. The inside (medial) heel has more growth and has moved further away from the center line due to less weight bearing (photo 4). After pulling the shoe and looking at the ground surface (photo 5) it is easy to see the lateral heel quarter is closer to the center line of the hoof. |
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The next step would be to trim
the hoof. We would like to bring the hoof back to as close a symmetrical
state as possible which would also help center the hoof under the limb. This
would involve simply trimming the excess growth from the medial heel to the
widest point of the lateral toe quarter. After trimming, the hoof has become
more symmetrical (photo 6). When sighting the limb again we can see
the hoof is perpendicular to the center line and level (photo 7). It
is important to remember that weight bearing works against the balanced
hoof. The hoof capsule will distort according to the stress it is subjected
to during the shoeing cycle. You can minimize distortion by correct trimming
and shoe fit, but uneven growth will still occur because you have not
changed the conformation. In the case of a severe limb deviation the shoeing
schedule should be shortened to minimize distortion. The next step would be fitting our GP Lateral Extension Shoe. The outside perimeter of the shoe is not going to be symmetrical due to the extension. I have found it helpful to concentrate on keeping the inside symmetrical when shaping. The notch in the branch is from the edge of the anvil when forging the heel check to align with the frog (photo 8). I have used only the front two nail holes on the lateral branch as I would like to encourage the lateral heel quarter to expand. |
Sighting the hoof again with the shoe applied (photo 9) we have come even closer to centering the hoof on the limb.
Viewing the hoof from the back on the ground shows the amount of lateral support available with the new DF Grand Prix (photo 10).
The Lateral view (photo 11) shows the width from the second nail hole back and the boxing on the foot surface of the shoe to help eliminate shoe loss.
The view from the front (photo 12) shows how the lateral extension shoe has helped to center the hoof capsule.
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