Time after time, equine athletes fill our senses with wonder at their abilities while competing. Their speed and jumping prowess thrill equestrians and fans alike. Yet, like their human counterparts, their bodies can fail. Excessive stress and repetitive strain can result in an injury to the suspensory ligament, superficial flexor tendon and sesamoidean ligaments.

The tool that’s most helpful for farriers to lend a hand to these performance horses in this situation is the suspensory shoe. The appliance is designed to support the suspensory ligament, as well as the oblique sesamoidean. The biomechanics of the shoe enhances toe flotation and heel penetration into the ground. Hard or soft footing can change the mechanical effect depending on whether it’s being used for a suspensory branch or the full suspensory ligament with how much heel sink the horse is going to have and how much toe load.

While the shoe reduces pressure…