A trainer in Lexington told me to just slap shoes on a lame horse

I was at a barn in Lexington last month, and this trainer pointed at a horse with a clear limp. He said, 'Just put some shoes on it, that'll fix the gait.' I told him straight up that shoeing won't fix a joint or tendon problem, it needs a vet. He just shrugged and walked off. It's that kind of thinking that gives our whole trade a bad name. How do you guys handle it when someone blames the feet for every single issue?

2 comments

2 Comments

gonzalez.wesley18h ago

Shoes can help some lameness, but not all.

jenkins.wade23h ago

Yeah, I read an article about that mindset a while back. It said slapping shoes on as a cure-all just masks the real problem until it gets way worse. You were right to call for a vet, because that limp is a symptom, not a shoeing problem.