The Ins and Outs of Pads

Its eventing season and the ground can get hard and the events are coming thick and fast. I find prevention is better than cure and being proactive pays dividends in the long run when it comes to your horse’s shoeing and their soundness.

There are lots of options when it comes to choosing pads and packing materials and there are many reasons why you might choose to use them. In this blog I’m going to focus on pads and packing specifically for event horses.

Another issue to take into consideration is that all pads can make the horse slip when going cross country, so it’s important to balance the need for pads against the job the horse is required to do

It’s important to remember that pads and packing will only help improve or maintain the horse’s performance, alongside good, regular shoeing. All to often I will see horses with every possible add on option but the foot balance is completely wrong, making everything else redundant.

Why do we use pads?
1. Maximise the horses performance
2. Minimise concussion
3. Protection

• What are the main types of pads?
  Leather- Leather pads have been used for many years with great success, they provide great protection to the sole without constant pressure across the sole and frog. Additional packing materials under the pads can be added to increase this.
• Plastic- plastic pads are a modern take on the leather pads. They provide the same sole protection, useful in some situations as they are a constant thickness (3mm or 5mm).
• The “Christmas tree” pad (ibex frog support) is one of my ‘go-to’ pads. The added frog pressure given through construction of these pads makes them into a very sympathetic heart bar. They are a fraction of the weight of the steel heart bar shoe, ideal for race-horses and event horses with certain pathologies.
• Equi-pak – a ‘pour in’ pad with multiple manufacturers and options for soft, medium or hard. They offer a huge amount of sole support including frog pressure. I personally prefer this type of pad on the event horses because the risk of a foreign body getting underneath is slim to nonexistent.

Packing material

• Equi-pak – it can be used to pack underneath pads, i.e. graduated leather pads.
• Dental impression material (DIM)- Offers great support and cushioning. I often mix copper sulphate granules in, to help combat bacteria.
• Magic cushion – shredded leather with a mixture of oils bonded together. It forms a tar-like consistency and is great for drawing out bruising.
• Hoof matrix – shredded leather with a combination of oils such as eucalyptus and T- tree. It has great antibacterial properties.

You must be conscious that most of these pads and packing combinations create an anaerobic environment that bacteria will thrive in, so not advisable for use in certain situations.

Example case study.

Eventer (Irish Sports Horse), competing at Intermediate Level

Symptoms

• Lack of performance at last event
• Short stride after landing
• Looking to chip in an extra stride on take off
• Reluctance to take on drop fences

My Assessment

Static – feet look good, no risen clenches. Solar view shows lack of depth, (the view from) some exfoliating sole but not much. Good medial lateral balance. Dorsal Palmer balance also looks good.

So far all is as I’d expect for an event horse that is on a 4-5 weeks shoeing cycle.

Dynamic – horse walks well, lands almost perfectly level just catching on the outside but very minimal. In trot the horse is largely the same, if anything it lands more level than in walk.

So far, the only indication I have that there is a problem is from talking to the rider. Communication with the rider is key to identifying issues. Make sure you speak up!  My suspicion is that the horse is suffering with some caudal hoof pain.

Shoeing – For this horse, I would look to provide some solar protection (protection over the sole) and increase the surface area in the back half of the hoof capsule. This will create a secondary cushioning and shock absorbing effect which will limit the impact through the hoof capsule, which in turn will help protect the horse from any pain from concussion he is getting.

I would use Equi-pak pour in pads in medium density. Event horses work in all conditions so I would also use copper sulphate to help minimise the chance of anaerobic bacteria getting a foothold.

Post Shoeing

Moving forward, I’d expect an almost instant change in the manner of the horse when it goes cross country. Communication with the rider is key as they will know how the horse feels and the level of improvement in its way of going.

Check out the photos of the various pads and packing materials. Also a very interesting photo of an Equi-pak pad that I’ve removed after the shoeing cycle, it has completely mirrored the shape of the frog, you’ll also notice its slightly thicker at the back half of the foot than the front, this is also deliberate. By doing so I’ve maximised the surface area in the back half of the foot, but the kept some verticals depth at the toe for some traction.

I hope you’ve managed to follow this blog and can take something from it. Please remember shoeing is subjective and farriers all have different preferred methods!

Any questions you may have please drop me a comment and I will do my best to answer them.