In my many years of owning horses it became obvious to me that not all horse feet are alike! Duh! My thoroughbred, for example, often needed to have hoof pads on her front feet but not her hind feet. My Tennessee Walker never needed hoof pads nor did he need shoes on his hind feet. Other horses that we owned did not need any shoes at all. One of our horses, a Racker, had stifle problems and lifts were put on his hind feet to raise him up about 3 degrees to relieve the pressure and pain in the stifle. The lifts were removed eventually over time and the stifle problem resolved. Another was inclined to stone bruises so he wore pads on his front feet in certain terrain conditions. There are many reasons that horses need or do not need pads and shoes. Sometimes you will hear people say that black horn on the hoof is stronger than white horn. That, apparently, is a myth.

When considering pads there are many variables: Your horse's "work, turnout, behavior, way of going, conformation, condition of hooves, and whether any of these variables will change during the shoeing period..." From the owner's point of view there are also many variables such as cost, maintenance, topography, environment, nutrition and what discipline you and your horse enjoy together. Do you trail ride, barrel race, team pen, endurance ride, fox hunt, etc.? Pads can be a benefit as well as a problem. Farriers have different views on the use of foot pads as with everything relating to horses. However, it seems that the goal of applying a hoof pad is to improve foot condition. The idea of the pad is to restore the foot to its natural function so the horse can do without the pad. You do have the choice and it is not forever.

Possible Reasons for Hoof Pads

• Foot Conformation
• Cover and Protect
• Elevation such as increasing angles in the hindquarters to relieve stifle problems. My farrier used rubber wedge pads to alleviate pressure on the stifle and slowly lowered the angles as healing progressed. It is also used in certain cases when the hoof angle is low relative to the pastern angle.
• Support on bottom of hoof
• Pathology/disease or damage
• Environmental Conditions: snow, ice, wet ground
• Spread load on hoof wall
• Protection the sole from trauma, stone bruises, ouchy, or an injury such a puncture, etc.
• Long term bandages for some hoof conditions such as shelly feet, thin walls, etc.

Wedge Pad Types and Materials

• Full wedge pads
• Frog support pads (Frog support pads help horses that need bony column support, such as laminitic horses. In addition to causing the frog to share a portion of the load, reducing that placed on other areas of the hoof, these pads help maintain the position of the frog relative to other structures of the hoof.)
• Flat pads (flat plastic pads made from polyurethane are commonly used) Leather is also used as some farriers say it is more hooflike than plastic especially when there is moisture. However, leather gets softer and deteriorates in wet conditions.
• Pour-in pads (These consist of a two-part mix of polyurethane that is poured into the sole after the shoe is nailed on. This sticks and molds to the sole and provides protection and shock absorption.)
• Rim pads
• Full support pads
• Wedge pads
• Pads are often made of leather, plastic, rubber or metal.
• Snow pads are generally applied to the front feet, however, some people like four around.

A Closer Look Into Pads

• Pads are usually applied in pairs to maintain symmetry.
• Pads can be applied in combinations, ie, mismatched hooves, limb length disparity, etc.
• Pads are usually replaced on the normal shoeing cycle (4-6 weeks) Geography makes a difference as does time of year.
• Pads need packing except for rim pads.
• Packing is a filler such as pine tar or oakum which is fiber soaked in pine tar. Liquid urethane is often injected in the space between the hoof and the pad.
• Pads keep out dirt and debris.
• Pads cut down on anaerobic microbe growth. An antimicrobial such as copper sulfate is applied beneath the pad. Thrush is no longer a problem with the antimicrobial addition beneath the pad.
• Be mindful of riding conditions when your horse has pads. Try to stay out of deep mud or sand.
• Pads and shoes can also be sucked off in muddy conditions.
• If your horse is reluctant to go out there could be compression pain or problems with the pad application which causes him/her pain.
• Lameness can be caused by an abscess under the pad and infection.
• There can be a reduction of traction with pads as the horse's frog is off the ground.
• Pads can also add weight to the foot.
• Pads increase foot length and may cause your horse to loose shoes.
• Pads can loosen the clinches that hold the shoe. This is due to good shock absorption from the soft pads.

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