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?

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3 Comments

leo_kelly5mo ago

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

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margaretrivera5mo 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.

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roberts.jordan5mo ago

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

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