Just had a talk with an old timer that changed how I trim draft feet

Ran into this guy at a clinic in Ohio last weekend, been shoeing since like the 70s. He told me I was overthinking draft horse feet and just needed to focus on the angle from the coffin bone, not the hoof wall. Hit different because I'd been fighting with a Shire for 6 months and his method fixed the gait in one trim. Anyone else get advice that made you change your whole approach to heavy horses?

2 comments

2 Comments

kim_sanchez191d ago

Yeah, coffin bone angle is the real deal on drafts.

harper_owens1d ago

Have you seen what happens when you get a draft with a really upright pastern and a steep coffin bone angle? I watched a farrier trim one once and the angle was almost 60 degrees, it was wild how different the mechanics looked compared to a more standard conformation. Did that change how you approach shoeing or just trimming them, or do you look for something specific in the x-rays before you even start? I ask because a buddy of mine swears by putting a wedge on almost every draft he works with, but I wonder if that's actually helping or just masking something else.