Carrier plate (Trägerplatte) in application

Why do you need this extra plate?

Goodsmith has made it its mission to make glue-on shoes applicable for the broad masses. The standard glue-on shoe from Goodsmith ("Perma XT glue-on shoe") is made exactly for this: it is so versatile that all situations where as much "freedom" as possible for the hoof is desired can be covered with it. In short, in all hoof situations where the hoof mechanism should be restricted as little as possible - essentially as with the bare hoof.

But then there are also those situations where, from a veterinary point of view, a restriction of the torsion capability of the horn capsule is advantageous. Or where rigid orthopaedic support is required. Those cases where an orthopaedic special shoe is normally applied. And it is exactly for this that we have now created an alternative: the Trägerplatte (carrier plate) from Goodsmith.

What is the Trägerplatte?

The Trägerplatte is made of the same material as the normal Goodsmith base plate, but it has no profile and is significantly thinner than the normal base plate.

The Trägerplatte is not intended for use alone on the horse's hoof; instead, it functions - as the name already suggests - as a carrier for a conventional metal special shoe. This means that the desired (aluminium) shoe is not nailed directly onto the hoof, but is instead screwed onto the Trägerplatte. And the Trägerplatte is then (like a normal base Bekleb) glued to the hoof with tabs. This makes it possible to combine the advantages of the metal and plastic worlds: the proven orthopaedic special shoes can still be used as before, only that now the hoof wall no longer has to be damaged by nails, but instead horn-protectively glued. This is particularly useful when one is already dealing with hoof pathologies in which the horse reacts sensitively to shoeing with nails.

How can the Trägerplatte be used?

The Trägerplatte belongs to the Goodsmith Rehabilitation product line and is therefore intended for special pathological cases. Such cases must always be supervised by the professional (hoof care practitioner plus vet!) and often require adjustments at short intervals. The Trägerplatte is suitable for all possible metal special shoes, e.g. with the following clinical pictures:

• dropped sole (Durchtrittigkeit)
• laminitis (Hufrehe)
• coffin bone (wing) fracture
• and many more

However, structures made of other materials can of course also be attached to the Trägerplatte, e.g. a wooden Steward clog. Also "extension shoes" for lengthening the toe (e.g. as a corrective measure for a foal's upright hoof) can be implemented with it, or one-sided extensions (e.g. to support or relieve specific joint conditions).

For implementation, the Trägerplatte is first fitted exactly to the hoof (just like the normal base plate of the basic Bekleb) and then the tabs are welded onto the Trägerplatte. After that, the desired special shoe is mounted onto the Trägerplatte using small screws. For safety reasons the screws should be driven from above through the Trägerplatte and the screw tips should subsequently be ground off, e.g. with an angle grinder.

Conclusion

Particularly in the orthopaedic field there is often no "simple off-the-shelf solution". With the Trägerplatte, hoof care practitioners now have additional possibilities to implement the therapeutic prescriptions of vets at the hoof without having to fall back on a nailed solution. With the Trägerplatte solution the proven orthopaedic shoes can continue to be used, but in a modern way: by gluing, the hoof wall is not mechanically damaged and the horses do not have to stand still as long as with nailing.

Here you go directly to the product!

Author: Nathalie Kurz

Images: Goodsmith GmbH