Good farriers often take the time to seat out the toe of a horseshoe, knowing that doing so helps to relieve unwanted sole pressure. But what do you do when the sole of a hoof has dropped below where it’s supposed to be?

You seat the toe still deeper, says Lee Green, a member of the International Horseshoeing Hall Of Fame. Green, who owns the Shoein’ Shop in Yucaipa, Calif., demonstrated the shoe modification during an open house at Centaur Forge in Burlington, Wis.

“This shoe has gotten a lot of people out of trouble,” Green says.

Dropped Sole Problems

Dropped sole, a condition in which the sole protrudes below the level of the hoof wall, is often associated with founder and rotation of the coffin bone, obviously serious situations that require special attention. But Green says the shoe also is valuable at other times.

“I use it a lot in situations where you have a hoof wall that is all broken up and the sole is extending down below that,” he says. “In those cases, you don’t have a lot of weight-bearing surface available around the edge and this shoe can give you that.”

Pad Use

When the dropped sole is caused by P3 rotation, some recommend using a full pad or rim pad for extra protection. Green…