Page 268 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

out at monthly intervals.

VetBooks.ir Shoeing

There are several methods of shoeing affected horses.

HEART BAR SHOES

There are various types of heart bar shoe. They are designed to provide support to the pedal

bone by applying light, even pressure to most of the trimmed frog. This removes the pressure
from the compressed blood vessels under the tip of a rotated pedal bone and helps to restore

the circulation to the foot.
They require specialist fitting as an incorrectly fitted heart bar shoe can increase the

horse’s pain and damage the foot further. Imprint™ plastic heart bar shoes can be heated and
moulded to fit the foot snugly and correctly. They are held in place by moulding part of the

shoe into indentations drilled into the hoof wall and by a special adhesive. This avoids the
pain and concussion caused by nailing shoes in place (Figures 6.49a, b and c). The shoe is

seated-out to avoid any pressure on the sole (see Figure 6.36).