Good Durability - Even with Large Hooves

Hello dear readers,

my big friend Lo is a Norman Cob standing 176 cm at the withers and weighing 900 kg.

At the end of 2022, the horse was not moving well. Since there was still no improvement after several weeks, we had X-rays taken.

The problem turned out to be soles that were too thin. We were advised to fit him with horseshoes. Given the quality of his hooves, I preferred to look for an alternative: hoof boots.

Unfortunately, it turned out these were not available in sizes above 200 mm. Moreover, it was very difficult to find a specialist willing to take on this challenge with me and find a suitable solution.

Fortunately, I ended up with the Belgian Gary, who did not shy away from this challenge and was also regularly willing to travel to North Brabant in the Netherlands.

He had already had good experiences with the Goodsmith base plates, and after some research it turned out that these were also available in 220 and 215 mm (which we needed in our case).

In January 2023 we attached the first pair of base plates under the hooves using adhesive tabs.

We are still using this particular set of plates after 25 weeks. Due to the improved hooves, we had to adjust them several times. This requires a fair amount of effort, but at the same time it gives you a great insight into the process of change. Last time we were even able to reuse the adhesive tabs.

Several specialists were of the opinion that these plates would not be suitable for a horse like Lo, given his weight and the forces involved.

Goodsmith, however, had full confidence when we knocked on their door with our doubts and a request for advice. I think we have now proven that Goodsmith's materials can also offer a very suitable solution for this particular challenge.

My horse is outdoors around the clock, on both sandy surfaces and concrete/paved areas.

His hooves show a very nice improvement and he moves well on them. Next week we will probably start with the second pair. Because of the worn toe side, the adhesive tabs can no longer be secured well enough.

We never thought a set could last 25 weeks, and we are curious to see what the next pair will bring us.

Kind regards, Wendy & Lo