Alpha Farrier Services - Serving Central Maryland. Updates from Mike Poe, CJF. August 2008

View of a horse statue through the leg of another horse statue.

August 2008 Journal Entry

A Word About Barshoes

August 19, 2008
If your horse is experiencing hoof soreness he might need a barshoe. A barshoe is any shoe with the heels connected. The specific features of the shoe are what give the shoe its name.

Barshoes are tools farriers can use to manipulate weight bearing in the hoof. They are typically fit in the same manner as an open-heeled shoe.

Common ailments that might require barshoes include (but are not limited to):

quarter cracks
sheared heels
navicular syndrome
laminitis

Barshoes are not just for lame horses either. A jumper going over high fences can greatly benefit from the added support of a heart bar.

Older horses working in deep footing can benefit from the added floatation of an egg bar. By keeping the hoof high in the footing we can ensure that less stress is placed on the horse’s joints.

Below are three examples of commonly used barshoes:

A Straight Bar Shoe	An Egg Bar Shoe	A Heart Bar Shoe

As implied by the name, the heels of this shoe are connected by a straight piece, or bar.	In the case of the Egg bar, the heels are connected by a curved section making the entire shoe egg shaped.	This one looks like a heart. The bar in this shoe is extra long and follows the frog allowing the frog to bear weight.

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