Pat Burton says farriers need to watch how horses approach the barrels before deciding on what shoes to use.

Among many of the challenges a farrier must deal with are sheared heels. Scott Morrison, the veterinarian and farrier who leads the Podiatry Department at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington, Ky., says this problem is usually the result of less than ideal conformation. Usually the horse toes in or out, putting more stress on one side of the hoof wall (and heel) than the other. When a horse develops sheared heels, the stressed heel becomes jammed upward, the hoof symmetry is distorted and one heel is bearing most of the weight.

Tom Curl told attendees at last winter's 6th annual International Hoof-Care Summit that farriers must develop special skills to effectively use heart bar shoes. The Vero Beach, Fla., farrier says this means learning to place the right amount of pressure on the bar and where to set the bar so it's not setting too far forward on the frog.