Volume 14: Issue 2

Breakover EnhancementsFor Work and ShowSurface Changes

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By Dave Farley, APF CF

IN A RECENT ARTICLEWRITTEN BY DOUGWORKMAN, THE IMPORTANCEOF SHOE MODIFICATIONS ANDBREAKOVER WEREDISCUSSED. HERE ARE SOMETHINGS TO CONSIDERCONCERNING UNNATURALENVIRONMENTS THAT SOMEHORSES LIVE AND WORK ON.

When thinking about breakoveryou have to take intoconsideration the surfaces thehorse will be walking on andworking on. Natural footing likegrass, sand or dirt may notrequire any modifications to easebreakover. Horses that are livingin an unnatural environment mayrequire a different approach tokeep the feet sound and healthy.My team and I shoe horses thatare working in synthetic surfacesand sometimes we have to checkthese horses daily; monitoring thechanges in their feet and theinjuries that could come as aresult of these changes. These

changes could causeone or more of thefollowing;complaints of limbswelling andsoreness in the lowerlimb, soft tissuedamage within thehoof capsule,soreness in the frog(especially the backhalf of the frog), stretching of thewhite line at the toe, cracks in thehoof wall at the toe area, heels

starting to foldforward or corns.Over-reaching,pulling shoes,stumbling orfalling, unwillingto make short orsmall circles arealso problemsthat can occur.

The photo inset shows a shoewith a rocker toe and both medialand lateral sides of the shoe

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ground to encourage ease of breakover. This is our modification ofchoice for horses that live at horse shows, consistently stand or walk onblacktop or concrete surfaces and work in synthetic riding arenas. Wehave noticed these horses show signs of stress as a result of working inthis environment. Their hooves and the shoes we take off tell the storyof what would be better suited for them. The wear on the shoe is whatto look for. Before making adjustments or modifications to the shoesmake sure you have properly trimmed the foot. Variations in wear inthe toe, both medial and lateral, and heels wearing more than the toemay indicate a need for enhancements. Sharp edges anywhere on theoutside of the shoe on the ground side can be problematic forcomfortable movement.

In the trimmed foot image you can see pieces of synthetic material fromthe arena in the white line area of the heel and bars of the foot. Thesewill be removed before nailing the shoe on. This footing can and willswell after it absorbs moisture. It is very sticky and does not allow thefoot to slide when landing or when the foot breaks over. The frog ispolished, which is desirable. A freshly trimmed frog is like a pencileraser and will stick to the footing. A combination of a sticky frog, ashoe with traction and sticky footing could be a reason to choose adifferent shoe and/or shoe modifications. Horses that have been onthese surfaces for a year or more with conventional shoeing can acquireelongated frogs, soreness in the frogs and heels that start to becomeunder run. While this footing looks soft and fluffy it is actually veryfirm. Farriers should walk on, and investigate, the material to get abetter understanding and to compare it to natural footing. We allremember when artificial turf was added to human athletic fields and themedia coverage concerning the injuries that came after. Now the equineathlete is experiencing the same issues. This is why we roll and rocker alot more shoes than in the past, and use shoes like the Kerckhaert SteelComfort and the new Kerckhaert DF Quarter Motion more often.

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Left and Below: Side viewof the foot trimmed for arocker motion and theKerckhaert DF shoe with arocker toe.

Above: Use a hammer handle to see if thefrog is in the center of the foot. If so, thehorse’s limb can and will break over easier.

Above: Trimmed foot.

Above: The Kerckhaert DF Front shoe hasthe amount of material necessary to applythe modifications to improve break over.

This image is a Kerckhaert DFSelect hind shoe with a third calkhole on the outside and extramaterial ground off the medialside to improve medialbreakover. We apply stud holesbecause there are still a fewplaces in the U.S. that have grass

and/or dirt arenas. For this reason, we have to drill andtap because our horses may compete there. I like theshape of the Kerckhaert DF Select hind shoe, especiallyin the toe area. The same problems that horses havewith breakover on synthetic surfaces on front limbsaffect the hind limbs also. Remember that the hoofdoes not sink into the material and tapered heels canhelp with this problem. Synthetic footing is sticky -and the foot will not slip or slide. When breakover ishindered, something has to give, and it’s usually thelimb and/or the foot. It is usually soft tissue above orinside the hoof, the hoof wall and/or the frog that willshow signs of conformation changes.

A stretched white line, seedy toe and/or thickening ofthe wall at the toe could be signs of a foot that wouldbenefit from a shoe modification like the rolled toe orrocker toe and/or moving the shoe back to enhancebreakover.

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Classic Roller

SX Roller

DF QuarterMotionChoose Kerckhaert for

Shoes that Aid in Breakover

Left: Another viewof the hindKerckhaert DFselect with themodifications andshowing howmuch the toe ispulled back toimprove breakoveron this hind foot.

New Products KERCKHAERT DURA PLAIN3/8” thick generic shape shoe. Made in Hollandusing a high grade steel and good carbon content forextended wear. The Dura Plain meets the needs ofhorses working inrough, abrasiveterrains. The shoe isavailable in asymmetrical shapewith no front andhind.

Punched for city andslim blade nails.

Sizes 0, 1 & 2

LIBERTY NAIL LINE CONTINUES TO EXPANDDesigned by Kerckhaert and manufactured toprecise and consistent specifications, Libertynails feature a growing range of sizes thatpromise optimum clinching, accurate bevelsand points that provide consistent driving.Pair Liberty Nails with Kerckhaert Shoes foran outstanding result. N

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E-7 SlimDraft E-8 XL5 Regular6 RegularLX-50LX-55LX-60

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Drawing a toe clip using ahandled Bob PunchBY MICHAEL WILDENSTEIN, CJF FWCF (HONS)

PHOTO 1: The point of the bob punchis about 3/8” inside thewidth of web angledtowards the outside widthof web.

PHOTO 2: The bob punch is struck topush material outside of thewidth of web.

PHOTO 3: Cross tong the heels, placethe shoe on the edge of theanvil and with hammerblows pull the displacedmaterial onto the face of theanvil.

PHOTO 4: Traditionally, the clip isdrawn as high as the widthof web of the shoe is wide.

PHOTO 5:The toe clip is formed tomatch the angle of the hoofwall.

PHOTO 6: Finished toe clip.

THE TOOL CORNER

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THE NATURAL ANGLE is publishedto provide you with new and useful informa-tion about the industry. It is publishedthrough a cooperative effort of Vector andLiberty Horseshoe Nails, Bloom Forge,FPD, Kerckhaert Shoes, Vettec, Bellota,Mercury and your supplier.

Articles in this publication are theproperty of The Natural Angle and cannot bereprinted without express permission. Forinformation concerning reprints, pleasecontact Dan Burke, FPD, P.O. Box 1328,Shelbyville, KY 40066 or Email:fpd@farrierproducts.com.

If you have questions, comments orideas concerning the articles published inthe Natural Angle, please contact yourdistributor. We welcome your input. TheNatural Angle is designed and edited byGraphic Response. �

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The Natural Angle

RAPTORThe Bellota Raptor Rasp is 1/2-inch wider than theother Bellota rasps, providing a greater cuttingsurface. It features a maximum cut on the rasp sideand a coarse cut on the file side.

RAZORAs its name implies, the rasp side of the Razor offersan extreme cut, while the file side is coarser. The 14-inch rasp incorporates a new tooth design to reduceclogging and to retain its sharpness.

Bold Cut

New VideosReleasedFPD has released several newinstallments of the series, "FPDFootPro™ Information Series forthe Professional Farrier." The videos area available to view atwww.farrierproducts.com/farriery/video.html.