That drafty hoof problem that ate my whole Tuesday

Spent a solid 8 hours last week chasing a hot nail on a draft horse that kept pulling off shoes. Took me three tries to realize his hoof wall was way softer than I expected and I needed a wider nail pattern. Anybody else run into weird hoof density on drafts?

3 comments

3 Comments

leo_kelly24d ago

Would a higher toe angle help stabilize the nail pattern on draft hoof walls?

margaretrivera24d ago

You mentioned "stabilize the nail pattern on draft hoof walls" and that's actually something my buddy Dave ran into last year with his Percheron. He tried a slightly higher toe angle on the fronts and it seemed to help the nails hold better on those big, flared walls @leo_kelly, but he said the backs needed a different trim to keep the whole foot balanced. He had to play around with it for a couple trims to get it right, but the nail pattern definitely looked more even after that change.

roberts.jordan24d ago

Higher toe angle on those fronts makes a big difference in nail hold for sure.