Shoeing The Laminitic Horse (cont'd) Hopefully, our treatment in the acute stage was effective in halting the disease process, rendering the horse comfortable, on minimal medication and having gone a reasonable length of time with no further radiographic changes. Many horses have such severe lamellar damage that they will not respond to any method of therapeutic shoeing. Every laminitic case must be approached on an individual basis and not every shoeing method will work for every horse. Purpose Of Shoeing Veterinary literature abounds with reports of corrective shoeing for laminitis and distal phalanx rotation and/or displacement. The primary purposes of shoeing a laminitic horse are to protect the foot, minimize breakover, relieve dorsal hoof wall pressure, prevent sole pressure and provide posterior support by using the frog and heels of the foot.(3) If these five points cannot be accomplished, then, in many cases, the animal may be better off left unshod. To minimize breakover, the shoe should not extend in front of the apex of the distal phalanx. Shoeing methods which increase weight bearing through the hoof wall, especially in the toe area, will increase pressure on the compromised laminae. This may worsen or prolong the problem. Types Of Shoes There are countless types of shoes used to treat laminitic horses. Among the most popular types of shoes are:

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