underslung heel

Question
Hi Christine,
I had a question about problems with underslung heels. My l4 year old Arabian geldings left front
foot is somewhat underslung.  He doesn't have any problem moving, but my friend is concerned
about it causing ringbone.  My farrier says that it won't cause ringbone.  My horse wears shoes,
and I ride him 5 or 6 days a week.  I ride english pleasure, and take him to shows once in a while,
but I mostly just ride him in an arena where he is boarded.  My farrier doesn't want to put pads on
him, because he doesn't like pads.  I have had my horse for 6 years, and his foot has always been
like this.  Should I do something to correct this, or listen to my farrier.  I don't want to cause
problems down the road.  I could use your opinion, and if you want I could send you a picture of
his foot.  Just let me know.  Thank you, Michele

Answer
Hi Michele, yes, sending me a picture of ALL 4 of his feet, from the front, back and side, and if possible from the bottom as well, would be very useful. Also a pic of your horse from the side, the front and the back, on level ground where i can see the hooves would be great.
What causes ringbone is usually side-to-side imbalance in a hoof that leads to abnormal stresses on the joints and bones causes ringbone. Underslung heels can cause other problems down the road. I am also not a fan of pads since they do not help correct underrun heels - so I am with your farrier on this one. Is your farrier concerned about the underrun heels and if yes, what does he propose?
So, send me pics if you can, to jnksize@comcast.net. Happy to discuss this further!

take care,
christine