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From skeptic to believer: rocker toe shoes actually work | Farriers - Opinions Matter

max41•7mo ago

From skeptic to believer: rocker toe shoes actually work

I always thought rocker toe shoes were a bit of a fad for problem horses, more hype than help. But this past week, a client's older gelding with really bad breakover issues wasn't improving with anything I tried. I was out of ideas, so I figured why not give them a shot, even though I doubted it. I put a set on, and when the owner trotted him out two days later, the change was night and day. His stride was longer and he wasn't stumbling anymore, which he'd done for months. I guess you really can't knock something until you've tried it yourself on the right case. I'm adding them to my regular options now for horses that need that specific kind of help.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_piper7mo ago

Man, I used to roll my eyes so hard at rocker toe shoes I thought they'd get stuck. Had this one mare with chronic stumbling, and I tried every trick in the book, pads, different trims, the whole deal. Finally caved and slapped on a pair, mostly to prove they were junk. Two weeks later she's moving like a yearling, and I'm eating a big slice of humble pie. Your story hits home, it's wild when the gimmick turns out to be the real deal.

grantjones7mo ago

That stubborn feeling when you're sure something is just a fad can really blind you to what might actually help. Your moment with that mare, @the_piper, having to admit the shoe worked after being so against it, is something a lot of us have faced in different ways. It's tough to switch gears after you've made up your mind, but seeing real change forces your hand. There's a real lesson in staying open even when you're skeptical, because the proof is right there in how the animal moves. Stories like yours are a good nudge to not write things off quite so fast. It's a nice surprise when the fix turns out to be simpler than you thought.

drew_ramirez7mo ago

My old gelding had a persistent shoulder rub from his blanket. Switched to a fleece-lined surcingle cover, a total tack shop impulse buy. The rub cleared up in a week and never came back.