04/08/2026
Two years ago, “Leo”the haflinger’s hooves were in such bad shape and he was in so much pain that he had to be sedated and stand on a saddle pad just to work on his feet. It took several shoeing cycles with hoof casts to grow his hooves out enough to actually be able to nail through the hoof wall. then he spent another year in shoes with leather pads, trying to grow some sole depth. As his hooves slowly started to improve we didn’t need sedation anymore. Last shoeing cycle I was able to take the pads off and he stayed sound. Today I shod him again with no pads. While there’s still room for improvement, his hooves today look the best they have in two years!
Hoof problems can’t be fixed over night. It often takes several shoeing cycles, sometimes even years, and sometimes they just can’t be fixed. It’s not all up to the farrier either, the owner has to be diligent in caring for their feet between farrier visits.
