Shoeing The Laminitic Horse (cont'd)

Types of Shoes for the Laminatic Horse:
  • The heart bar shoe.
  • The egg bar heart bar shoe (full-support shoe).
  • An egg bar shoe with a square, rolled or rockered toe.
  • A reverse shoe which leaves the toe open, often used with a frog-support pad.
  • An open shoe with extended heels using a heel insert such as a frog-support pad or rubber polysiloxane.(4)
  • Elite wedge shoes.
  • The Equine Digit Support Sys-tem shoe.
  • Various types of glue-on shoes and modifications thereof.
All of these shoes allow us to ad-dress to some degree the primary purpose of shoeing the laminitic horse. This list also allows the farrier to take into consideration his or her individual skill level and particular interest in therapeutic shoeing.

Biomechanical Forces
There are three main biomechanical forces imposed on the foot of a horse with laminitis.

First, there is the vertical load of the horse's weight placed on the hoof with compromised laminae. An attempt to counteract this force is made through various means of support.

The second biomechanical force placed on the foot is proximal-palmar pull of the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT). Lengthening the shoe and manipulating the hoof angle may effectively ...
<< PREV | MORE >>