Saw a hoof that convinced me to ditch the squared toe

I've been doing squared toes on front shoes for like 5 years now. Last week a client brought in a horse that had been shod by some old timer with a rolled toe and the difference in breakover was wild. Watched that horse move out on the lunge and it just looked so much smoother and freer. I tried a rolled toe on a similar horse this morning and it felt way more natural through the stride. Any of you guys made the switch and stuck with it?

2 comments

2 Comments

finley_harris511d ago

Rolled toes are actually great for most horses, but natural balance shoes don't emphasize a rolled toe specifically (they're usually rockered or have a different shape). That said, I made the switch years ago and haven't looked back on anything but the upright-pastern horses you mentioned.

jennifer_west5212d ago

That old timer with a rolled toe sounds like my grandpa who used to shoe everything with a half-round and swore by it. I was on squared toes for years too, thinking they were the best for breakover, but I switched after a client brought in a horse that had been shod with a natural balance shoe. That horse moved so much smoother on the lunge, just like you described, and it felt like the stride had no interference. I tried a rolled toe on a few of my own horses after that and it was a night and day difference, especially on ones that were a little stiff or had long toes. So yeah, I stuck with it for the most part, though I still use a squared toe on a couple of horses that have really upright pasterns and need that more defined breakover point.