It's called horseshoeing, not footshoeing, says Jim Keith, explaining why he rejects the traditional approach of aligning the hoof-pastern axis as the starting point for bringing a hoof into balance.

Horses don’t have hands, of course, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a dominant side. And this left- or right-handedness is an important concern for farriers, trainers and riders.

There are a number of horses I have cared for that have the same apparent foot condition. These are horses with chronic laminitis that have a dropped sole where the hoof wall — as it grows out — does not grow straight down, but flares out at the ground level or higher up the hoof wall.

While the farrier is not responsible for the training of a horse, he or she can certainly pass along some valuable techniques to the horse owner.