Speaking about an equestrian discipline, it seems right to explain why it is necessary to put iron shoes to the horses and how useful they are for our four-legged friends.
The shoeing is absolutely important for the proper management of the horse, so I asked ANDREA MENEGALDO, professional farrier, to deepen this topic.
Andrea Menegaldo, was fashinated by horses from his young age and has had a FISE riding license since 1988, he begun to carry out the activity of a farrier’s assistant at the age of 15 in 1986, he took part to a course held by Maresciallo Capo Vincenzo Blasio at the Veterinary and Mascalcia School of Pinerolo in 1989, obtaining a diploma, then he spent five years with the Savoia Cavalleria. He worked as a farrier in Italy, Belgium, Austria and Germany, thus he can deal with different realities of the equestrian world.
On his advice, before explaining the shoeing, we should take a step back and say something on the hoof, on its parts and the way they work, as they determine its functionality and lead the farrier to decide how to shoe the horse.
THE HOOF
The hoof is divided into various sections, each having its own function. By raising the foot of a horse, you will notice in the sole some distinct parts: externally a supporting edge called wall, which is the part that supports the weight of the animal. The wall is in turn divided into various parts called toe, heels and quarters. Continuing inside we will have the sole that supports all the living part of the foot and separates it from the ground. The frog is the softer, kind of rubbery part that is in the center of the foot with the lateral and medial sulcus and acts as a shock absorber and a pump to improve the peripheral circulation of the blood. A VERY IMPORTANT part of the hoof are the bars, the extension towards the inside of the wall. Bars have the task of giving strength to the whole cornea box and supporting the sole so that the foot does not tighten too much. In the end, we will have the angles of the sole that allow the hoof to widen and contract.
Having done this preamble we are now ready to face the shoeing, which Andrea carefully explained to me talking about how it is generally articulated in all its parts.
THE SHOEING
The first thing that the farrier must do is a proper evaluation of the horse in motion. That is generally done at the walk, although it can be done at trot either, whether it seems appropriate. This operation is often overlooked but it is FUNDAMENTAL to understand how to iron the shoes, because the way the horse walks (biomechanics), if well observed, can indicate many things such as what kind of shoeing is to be done and whether there are any corrections to do to improve the mechanics of the movement and the comfort of the irons to apply.
THE REMOVAL OF THE IRONS
The next step is the removal of the present irons. Once done that we proceed to clean the sole with a tool called English knife, removing the dead nail (that no longer has a function) and trimming the frog with a knife, in order to give it a well-defined shape. The lateral and medial sulcus are cleaned afterwards with the English knife to restore their function.
Another important operation is the cut of the wall using a pincer, removing all the excess nail and creating a flat surface as precise as possible, always considering all the information we collected during the inspection of the horse. Once the tie is done, we have to choose size and model of the irons to be applied, that will be shaped on the anvil depending on the shape of the hoof. The irons will be fixed to the hoof itself with nails.
The next phase consists of cutting the part of the nails in excess. Using a small tool, you will make small cavities in the wall necessary to house the piece of nail that will fall down to create a hook, so that the iron remains firmly attached to the hoof. Then we proceed to the filing in order to remove any sharp edges. The result should be pleasant to the farrier’s eye as well as comfortable and functional for the animal.
In the end, the horse will be inspected again at the paces of walk and trot to verify that he moves well and that the shoeing has been carried out correctly. .
Now that we explained how the shoeing materially happens, we have to spend a few words on why horses are shod.
Mainly it is because the nail of the horse, which is used especially for sports purposes, is subjected to a continuous friction on sandy soils that lead to its excessive and very rapid consumption. Irons help to prevent that. However, because the nail does not consume as it would in nature, the shoeing and balancing of the hoof should be done approximately every 6 weeks.
WHICH IRON APPLY?
The choice of the type of irons is of primary importance and it is always to be done according to the activity the animal carries out and to any health or posture problems.
For example, on a racehorse, characterized by a longline structure, will be applied a very light iron considering that the final goal would be speed. Differently, on a show jumping, dressage or vaulting horse, whose physical structure is usually more muscular, it is better to apply a shoe more oriented to comfort by using a slightly heavier iron, given the size of the horses themselves. These examples are required to underline the fact that every activity carried out by the horse corresponds to a different shoe set up.
It is then clear that the shoeing must be done by a professional farrier, grounding his job both on the work and health needs of the horse.
