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 Having Smokin Bandits
Posts: 4572
  
Location: Woodstown, NJ | My new farrier loves wedges. He's straightening my horses' feet out. They're a mess in various ways from all the bad farriers I've had. Mostly underrun heels. I've lived here for three years and this is my fifth farrier. But I have high hopes for this guy. Haven't heard anything bad about him plus he seems knowledgeable and is passionate about what he does. But he loves those wedges. I'm a little nervous about them especially since one of my guys recently got a suspensory injury after we put one on. About a month later, he came up lame. Never had anything like this happen before. I'm not necessarily blaming the wedge. But I'm paranoid. I've never used wedges before. What do you think about them? |
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| I think sometimes they are a necessary evil. They help raise the angle but then the heels get crushed. I have a broodmare in them due to a tendon injury. She is not a performance horse, but without the aluminum wedge on her previously injured limb, she wouldn't be very comfortable.
I think the most important thing with using wedges is a competent farrier and vet. It's just like anything else, a great tool when used appropriately on certain situations. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 538
Location: Nevada | My old mare has absolutely no heel and she kept coming up lame had xrays done after we thought she had foundered but couldn't find anything wrong so vet recommended wedges and next day perfectly sound. No limping no tenderness no short stride. She wears them 100% of the time now with no problems. I really like them for her. Not saying every horse needs them but they worked like magic for her. Hopefully your new farrier would use them on your horse because he needs them not just cause he likes them. |
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  Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
 
Location: ND | They have their place....but I feel very over used / used wrong. |
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 Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | SmokinBandits - 2014-12-21 9:44 PM
My new farrier loves wedges. He's straightening my horses' feet out. They're a mess in various ways from all the bad farriers I've had. Mostly underrun heels. I've lived here for three years and this is my fifth farrier. But I have high hopes for this guy. Haven't heard anything bad about him plus he seems knowledgeable and is passionate about what he does. But he loves those wedges. I'm a little nervous about them especially since one of my guys recently got a suspensory injury after we put one on. About a month later, he came up lame. Never had anything like this happen before. I'm not necessarily blaming the wedge. But I'm paranoid. I've never used wedges before. What do you think about them?
They are a great tool when used properly. However... I always recommended a day or two in a stall after raising the heels because the tendons and ligaments will be loosened somewhat and they need time to tighten up before the horse is worked or is turned loose to cavort. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 639
Location: God's country...aka TEXAS | My husband is a farrier and he ONLY uses these if there is a certain type of injury calling for them. Most of the time, they make the foot over load the toe, causing more problems with the coffin bone/foot being un level. Also, they can mess up the ligaments in the legs. They are definitely not going to help with the under run heels. |
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 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| My horse runs in the 2 degree wedge, natural balance, aluminum shoe. This was recommended for him per our vet after he tore scar tissue in his front leg. My gelding has very upright pasterns, check ligament surgery didn't correct it fully.
These shoes have made a world of difference. He's gotten faster and faster and you can tell he feels better. He did lose some of his stride because they brought his breakover back but the vet was dead on. KNOCK ON WOOD, no issues (leg related) in 2.5 seasons.
They have their purpose... and can make a world of difference, least I believe. But I think they can be overused just like anything. |
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Tried and True
Posts: 21185
Location: Where I am happiest | We have a filly who has to wear wedges on one foot only. That foot the coffin bone is tipped so she has to be shod at an exact angle to keep her sound and wedges on that foot is the only way to achieve that. We use the vets farrier, and he re x-rays her every 3rd shoeing to make sure we are staying on course. |
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Having Smokin Bandits
Posts: 4572
Location: Woodstown, NJ | Thank you for all your replies. Hmm, I just don't know if my horses need them. My one guy was not having any soundness problems until he got the suspensory injury. May have just been a bit of bad luck. We were stepping up the pace of his training. The other guy was never lame but often stumbles. This has been going on for years. He grows a long toe. He definitely has an underrun heel. X-rays were inconclusive. Nothing blatant as far as navicular or rotation of the coffin bone however he does have sidebone but he's had it a long time and vet said it shouldn't be causing the stumbling. I might have to just trust this new farrier. |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | My farrier came well recommended so when it came to a mystery soreness in one of the horse's front feet, he and my vet worked together and I let him take the reins. He put front wedges on and the horse is now mostly sound. He has good days and bad but overall is much more comfortable than he was w/o corrective shoeing. |
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Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| SmokinBandits - 2014-12-22 5:21 PM
Thank you for all your replies. Hmm, I just don't know if my horses need them. My one guy was not having any soundness problems until he got the suspensory injury. May have just been a bit of bad luck. We were stepping up the pace of his training. The other guy was never lame but often stumbles. This has been going on for years. He grows a long toe. He definitely has an underrun heel. X-rays were inconclusive. Nothing blatant as far as navicular or rotation of the coffin bone however he does have sidebone but he's had it a long time and vet said it shouldn't be causing the stumbling. I might have to just trust this new farrier.
My gelding often stumbles also, its unknown if he does due to his conformation flaw or laziness or what but the aluminums were much more suited for him. It has helped with the stumbling. he also has under run heels. |
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Member
Posts: 42
Location: SE Oklahoma | They have been a lifesaver for my big horse. Off the track he had long toes and zero heel. Still can't really get the heel to come back, put 2 degree wedge in front and he looks and feels so much better. Not sure if he will need them forever, but it's been a year with zero wedge-related problems. |
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Having Smokin Bandits
Posts: 4572
Location: Woodstown, NJ | We always thought it was laziness with this guy. He IS lazy. But I just don't know... |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12842
| I had them on one horse as per vet's orders. We just could not keep the horse sound. Her heels started to crush (that is what farrier said--I was not home) and I told my farrier to shoe her flat. It took a few shoeings but she is sound now. My farrier does not like aluminum shoes at all. He even says shoeing her flat was the best choice. |
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Having Smokin Bandits
Posts: 4572
Location: Woodstown, NJ | What do you mean by that Streaky? "Shoe her flat?" |
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Take a Picture
Posts: 12842
| SmokinBandits - 2014-12-22 10:27 PM
What do you mean by that Streaky? "Shoe her flat?"
Just plain old steel shoes. rims |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1131
| I used to show a mare who required wedges to stay sound. She had an old injury that was from bad farrier experience, and her heels never did grow out correctly, so in order to stay sound to ride, she got aluminum wedges on. |
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Expert
Posts: 1477
Location: In the land of peanuts and cotton | stayceem - 2014-12-22 6:47 PM
SmokinBandits - 2014-12-22 5:21 PM
Thank you for all your replies. Hmm, I just don't know if my horses need them. My one guy was not having any soundness problems until he got the suspensory injury. May have just been a bit of bad luck. We were stepping up the pace of his training. The other guy was never lame but often stumbles. This has been going on for years. He grows a long toe. He definitely has an underrun heel. X-rays were inconclusive. Nothing blatant as far as navicular or rotation of the coffin bone however he does have sidebone but he's had it a long time and vet said it shouldn't be causing the stumbling. I might have to just trust this new farrier.
My gelding often stumbles also, its unknown if he does due to his conformation flaw or laziness or what but the aluminums were much more suited for him. It has helped with the stumbling. he also has under run heels.
My mare trips and stumbles a lot. She also grows a long toe. We used to keep her cut a little shorter and used regular steel shoes. I started having problem keeping her sound. She was sound on and off for about a year and then went completely cripple. Thousand dollars later vet said she couldn't find nothing wrong with her and she thought she was faking to get out of work but if we were real worried about her then we should retire her. Went to a lameness specialist/performance vet and he found it within about 20min. She had a very large bone spur in her coffin joint. He injected it and had is put wedges on her and it has fixed her crippleness and has stopped the stumbling for the most part. I don't know whether she stumbled due to the spur or what but she's 95% better now. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 239
| SmokinBandits - 2014-12-22 4:21 PM Thank you for all your replies. Hmm, I just don't know if my horses need them. My one guy was not having any soundness problems until he got the suspensory injury. May have just been a bit of bad luck. We were stepping up the pace of his training. The other guy was never lame but often stumbles. This has been going on for years. He grows a long toe. He definitely has an underrun heel. X-rays were inconclusive. Nothing blatant as far as navicular or rotation of the coffin bone however he does have sidebone but he's had it a long time and vet said it shouldn't be causing the stumbling. I might have to just trust this new farrier.
When you say inconclusive I understand there is no rotation, but what was the angle of the coffin bone inside the foot? Sometimes they don't have to rotate at all for wedges to help. My mare doesn't have rotation per se, but the way her foot grows/grew the coffin bone was just a little more parallel with the ground than I like. She wasn't lame but we decided to go with the wedges (2 deg) to help the coffin bone sit a little better .... her feet are not great so we thought this might help. It has not made a *huge* difference, but she definitely is clocking better.
(I am a veterinarian, we do rads every 2nd reset)
As a previous poster said, I do recommend for the first 24 hours after they get new wedges stalling them. You do not want to go out and run that night.  |
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 I hate cooking and cleaning
Posts: 3314
Location: Jersey Girl | Do you mean alumininum wedges? My grey mare had them and did fine running in them. Now if you mean the rubber wedges put on most navic horses, use it if it helps your horse but not sure about running in those. |
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