Full Armor Farriery - Charlie Tobler

A skilled craftsman can make a handmade shoe that has much more quality than keg shoes. Handmade hot-fit shoes fit most hooves much better, because they are made for each individual hoof. Also, they are seated out, which means that the shoe is tapered toward the inside to eliminate the possibility of sole pressure. In addition, handmade shoes have heel checks, which allow the commissures on either side of the frog to naturally clean out much easier than with the rounded heel on a keg shoe. This allows oxygen to reach the commissures, which reduces thrush, a bacteria which eats away at the hoof and cannot survive in the presence of oxygen. I pull clips on every non-therapeutic shoe I apply. That means I draw a small piece of metal upward which I burn into the hoof. This helps secure the shoe and takes much of the shearing force off of the nails. Many horses that frequently lose shoes will normally not lose them when they have clips on them. And because I burn the shoe on, it produces a perfect union with the hoof, and the clip is totally flush with the outside of the hoof wall. This creates a very high quality job with little chance of a lost shoe. For more information, see Hot Shoeing.