Sole Callus - Preserve the sole callus! It is an adaptive sole structure that is necessary to support and protect the border of PIII, and the circumflex artery and vein.
Steel Natural Balance® Shoe
~ Suggested Hoof Preparation and Shoe Placement Guidelines for the Steel NBS ~
The following suggestions and guidelines, working together with the Natural Balance® Shoe, have been found to “Service the Needs of the Equine Foot” very well. The application procedure and shoe design* combination have been beneficially used to maintain soundness and allow horses to move freely and more comfortably throughout the shoeing regime.
Special Feature: Primary & secondary nail holes are provided for optimal nail placement; ideal for left & right foot applications.
We suggest that the foot be prepared so that the trimmed heel terminates close to the back of the frog. (Fig. 1-A & 2-A) This generally requires removing the heel so that the hoof wall is about 1/16” to 1/8” from the live, exfoliated sole at the heel. (Fig. 1-B & 2-B) The wall at the toe is trimmed equal in height to the sole callus. (Fig. 1-C & 2-C)
The distance from the frog apex to the inside border of the shoe (Fig. 3-A) should be:
Shoe Size ‘00’ = 1/8” - 1/4”
Shoe Size ‘0’ = 1/8” - 3/8”
Shoe Size ‘1’ = 1/4” - 1/2”
Shoe Size ‘2’ = 3/8” - 5/8”
Shoe Size ‘3’ = 1/2” - 3/4”
Shoe Size ‘4’ = 5/8” - 3/4”
Shoe Size ‘5’ = 3/4” - 7/8”
All shoes should extend to the end of the frog, which usually means that some shoes will extend beyond the buttress of the heel. (Fig. 3-B)
When finishing the foot, only remove the flares that are obvious from the mid portion of the hoof wall down. (Fig. 4-A) Undercut the remaining hoof left over the shoe. (Fig. 4-B) This will give you the appearance of the Naturally worn bare foot.
Copyright ® 1996 - All Rights Reserved Equine Digit Support System, Inc.
*These horseshoes have been patented by Gene Ovnicek in U.S. Patent No. 5,727,633 and by David M. Duckett in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,165,481 and 5,368,104.