My draft cross horses feet

Question
I have had a terrible time finding a farrier. I had one guy trim my horse and he was crippled for about a week and my vet had me Bute him. I have a new guy now from France.He said the previous farrier took off all his heel. He put shoes and pads on him, then next trim removed the pads, now he is barefoot. This farrier will only come very 8 weeks.When the farrier removed his shoes he had hunks of sole with streaks of blood in them. Before he trimmed him and I was cleaning his feet he had (not sure how to explain) hunks of sole that I could actually lift up with the hoof pick. The blood streaks- asked if they were bruises and he said yes that he has thin soles. He also uses a hammer and chisel type tool to trim inside his hooves (I have never seen this done)most of the farriers used a hoof knife. My horse has always been tender footed and I thought the shoes would help but wanted to see if he could go barefoot again. My horse also twists on his back feet when I am driving him from behind I can see this and this is after a trim.It looks like he is not even in the hoof but I am no expert. I really dont know alot about being a farrier, but I am wondering if this guy is doing my horses feet right. Any help would be great. Thank you, Cindi

Answer
HELLO CINDI...THANKS FOR YOUR QUESTION...

If you are still looking for a farrier, and have had NO help from an equine vet in your area, I would try www.americanfarriers.org  or
www.horseshoes.com/theguild. The A.F.A. and The Guild of Pro Farriers
have a "find a farrier" in your state. IT'S NO guarantee...just as there are lawyers,doctors and such who ARE educated but can and do shoddy work. Like myself...the Master and Journeyman levels mean we have tested at the highest level. It is voluntary at this time but
many states because of the U.S.D.A.'s involvement have made it mandatory to certify. One day in the future...it will be to show
competency.
Again...just because a doctor graduated from Duke or an attorney
from Harvard, doesn't make them infallible !!

You said the gentleman you have been using is from France. In Europe,
it is common to use a "sole chisel" w/ hammer. Here, we are mostly taught to use a hoof knife. In many western states,where the conditions are very arid and dry; many farriers try to alleviate
some of the sole, the same way because it is too difficult to trim it out.

That being said...your horse is obviously heavy/large with thin soles
as you have said. NO sole should be trimmed with a knife OR VERY
little to exfoliate. If your horse was radiographed, the "solar
depth" between the coffin bone/P-3 and sole is probably very thin.
Maybe 3cm or less.

I would keep shoes on this horse for comfort. There is also "sole
paints" that can be applied 3 times a week to dry and toughen the soles. You might want to apply a conditioner to the coronary band and bulbs a few times a week to "balance" the moisture of the hoof capsule
...unless you live in a very wet/moist area.You can ask the farrier if he/she is taking "sole-pressure" out of the shoes. Most Important!

I have said many times before..."The best shod horse is a barefooted
horse", BUT because of what WE do and different terrain, we have to shoe them for "protection or correction".

The "Natural Trimmers" will argue with me...but leaving alittle extra hoof wall is great AND IS WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO DO. Many times it is NOT enough!! Because of genetics and conformation, there is too much concussion and abuse and the horses need more. That is why we have different profiles...aluminum,steel,titanium,rubber,poly-plastics and such. Great human athletes DON'T wear the same shoe for
everything. And they DON'T compete barefooted.

The twisting you are seeing in the hind is or can be an imbalance in the hooves or is coming from the hocks. I or an experienced farrier
would have to watch the horse in motion and then address what's going on. Being a Draft/cross it could be conformation??

Remember...you get what you pay for. Farriers who work on Drafts
usually charge more. You want a competent farrier,you DON'T have to worry about.

I wish you the Best...Thanks again...
Joepaul Meyers,C.J.F.