How to Use the Half Shoe in Horseshoeing for Club Feet

A club foot in a horse can usually be detected visually, and frequently occurs on one of the horse's front legs. The term describes a hoof wall that meets the ground an angle of sixty degrees or more. In particularly bad cases of club foot, the hoof wall meets the ground at a ninety degree angle. The condition can range from minor to serious, but the issue almost never resolves itself without proper care. Contact your veterinarian and farrier as soon as you suspect that your horse has a club foot.

Things You'll Need

  • Cross ties
  • Hoof pick
  • Hoof knife
  • Hoof rasp
  • Half shoes
  • Shoe nails
  • Hammer
  • Anvil
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Instructions

    • 1

      Secure the horse in cross ties on a flat, clean, and dry surface. The best surface is a rubber stall mat. Cement can also work, but be careful to keep the horse calm and balanced while you are working with it, because metal horseshoes can slip on cement.

    • 2

      Pick up the horse's foot using the cue the horse is trained to respond to. Clean the dirt from the sole of the foot using a hoof pick. Use the pick to clean the grooves along the frog. If the outside of the hoof is dirty, clean that as well by wiping it with a damp cloth.

    • 3

      While holding the foot, trim the hoof wall of the club foot using nippers to cut off the hoof wall growth. Focus on trimming the hoof shorter in the heel, and leaving it longer in the toe to correct the angle of the club foot. Aim for a flat line where the hoof will strike the ground and avoid cutting any part of the hoof but the dead, horn-like wall.

    • 4

      Use the hoof knife to trim dead parts of the horse's sole and frog. Trim cautiously. Again, avoid cutting any live tissues. This may put the horse in distress and can cause bleeding.

    • 5

      Use the hoof rasp to sand the bottom of the hoof wall into a smooth, straight line.

    • 6

      Place the half shoe on the front of the horse's hoof. The shoe should cover just the toe half of the horse's foot. It will correct the club foot by limiting the wear on the toe while enabling the heel to wear down, thereby adjusting the toe angle.

    • 7

      If the shoe does not fit, hammer it on the anvil until it matches the shape of the horse's hoof. Test by placing it on the horse's foot to see if it is the same shape.

    • 8

      While holding the shoe in position, use the hammer to drive the hoof nails through the holes on the shoe. The nails should push out of the wall of the horse's hoof above the horseshoe. Drive all of the nails through the holes to secure the half shoe to the hoof.

    • 9

      Trim the ends of the nails that are sticking through the hoof walls using the hoof nippers. Run the rasp down over the trimmed nail heads to smooth them flat against the hoof wall.

    • 10

      Monitor the horse frequently to see if the club foot is improving.