In the first article in this series (pages 35 to 36 of the September/October, 2002, issue of American Farriers Journal), you learned how an egg bar shoe can be used to increase posterior support and flotation. But often a horse with a low hoof angle and undershot heel also has a long toe. This is where a blunt-toe egg bar shoe can prove very valuable to you.

Many horses need the foot to be shod with a faster break to go along with the benefits of the egg bar shoe. By adding a blunt toe to an egg bar, shoe manufacturers can offer farriers another valuable shoeing tool to assist in maintaining a tight shoeing schedule. As you know, taking time to make special shoes can disrupt your shoeing schedule.

Moving Breakover

There are many valid reasons for moving breakover back, including changing the timing of the stride and reducing the amount of stress caused by a long toe.

The conformation of the horse that would dictate increasing posterior support and flotation very often has a long toe that extends the break far in front of the foot. Such a long toe can’t always be corrected in one or two shoeings just with trimming. Using a blunt toe can solve the problem by moving the break point further back than where it would naturally be. A blunt-toe egg bar will fulfill both the posterior support and flotation needs while providing a more natural breaking point.

Conditions that benefit from a…