Balancing and Shoeing Trotting and Pacing Horses

by William J. Moore

Slipping will unbalance a horse when trying to get on his stride at speed; slipping too much on landing or on leaving the ground creates lost action that cannot be overcome by muscular development. I will cite a couple of cases here to prove this. A horse that trotted in his work miles in 2:27 over a half-mile track, when shipped to Rigley, Portland, Me., could not trot a mile there in 2:45 without being very unsteady, and this over a mile track. I examined his foot prints and saw he was slipping too much. I calked his shoes with toe and heel calks, never changed his feet, and this horse trotted miles in 2:25 without a break.

A mare that was trotting miles in her work over this same half-mile track in 2:25 easily, quarters in 33 or 33½ seconds, was shipped to Portland, Me., to a mile track and could not trot a mile there in 2:40 without mixing and acting very unsteady. On examining her foot prints I found she was slipping too much. I was sure her feet were fixed properly. As she became very unsteady and inclined to mix, I added two ounces more to her front shoes and gave her a heel and toe calk on hind and front shoes and she became very steady the next workout, and the driver told me she could trot a mile in 2:16 or better.

After the drivers of those two horses found they would get all unbalanced trying to get on their stride, they did not go to work with the lines and whip endeavoring to balance up matters, and cruelly abuse the dumb animals for what they were not responsible, but asked me to take a look at them. This thing of balancing faulty action with the lines and whip is a thing of the past, and he who thinks it can be done has stopped, he may be one of the know-alls and if so is past redemption and will have to be regenerated to be successful at the profession.

XLVII. SIDEWEIGHT SHOES.

Sideweight shoes are used with good results on horses that wing in to their knees or knee hitters. Apply the weighty side of shoe on the inside of foot, fix the outside of the foot from the center of toe to the outside heel the lowest, it will be good in some cases to have the outside web of shoe only one-half as thick as that of the inside, the thinner the outside the better for the winging in. For paddling out the sideweight shoe is used with the weight on the outside of the foot, be sure and fix the foot by lowering the inside of foot from center of toe back to the inside heel, have the inside of foot lower than the outside for a paddler, and have the outside of foot lower than the inside for a front shin, knee and arm hitter. A hind foot has to be fixed the lowest on the inside for speedy cutting, shin and hock hitting. A sideweight shoe is used a lot for speedy cutting, shin and hock hitting, but if the feet can be properly leveled low enough on the insides, many horses will go clean, or good gaited without the sideweight shoe, as it is the extra high inside of hind feet that causes the closing up of the hind action that makes all the trouble.

In many cases to help matters as to speedy cutting, shin and hock hitting the front action has to be examined. The horse may have too much or not enough front action to work in harmony with the hind action. If he is going too high or lofty I would reduce the lost lofty action and increase the extension. If he is going too low I would increase his front action by shortening his toes and adding several ounces more weight, sometimes it will require from four to six ounces more weight. To reduce the high or lofty front action and create more extension lower the quarters and heels of front feet, shoe with an extra light bar shoe and have the foot at an angle of from 48 to 50 degrees. In making this change you will get immediate results, and if necessary you can also experiment with a toe weight to balance up matters more satisfactorily.

XLVIII. TOE WEIGHT SHOES.

A toeweight shoe is used with good results on front feet to increase the fold of the knee, more height and reach. This shoe can be used with a square, round, beveled or sharp toe, or with a grab toe calk as the case calls for. If your horse is inclined to mix and needs weight to go good gaited, the sharp toe or one with a grab on it is best. To shorten the stride, shorten the toes of feet and square or bevel the toes of the shoe but do not lower the heel any. By increasing the weight of this shoe and raising the heels you can increase the height of the front action to your liking. To lengthen the stride in using this shoe, lower quarters and heels of the front feet to an angle of 48 to 50 degrees and use the plain toeweight shoe or one with a grab on it. This toeweight shoe is the best to use on a trotter that is hitching, hopping or running behind, and when carrying one hind leg between the front ones. Bevel this shoe from a little to the outside center of toe around the inside to the quarter or near the heel with a small heel calk. This shoe must be from one to two ounces more than twice the weight of the shoe carried on the perfect gaited leg. If the good gaited leg is carrying a six-ounce shoe this faulty gaited leg or foot will have to carry 13 ounces, not less, to change the line of action, 14 ounces will be better than 12 ounces, but the hind foot will have to be the lowest on the inside, if anything, as it was a high inside of foot that first started the trouble. A horse that is hitching should not be speeded until the action or gait of the faulty leg has been balanced, for it is so easily done. A driver who will try and drive the hitching out of a horse with the lines and whip is just as much unbalanced as is the dumb animal.

XLIX. POCKET WEIGHTS.

A pocket weight can be used jogging a knee knocker or paddler in the fall, winter and spring, to develop the muscle required and to prevent those faulty lines of action, and you can use from five to ten ounces, as the case may need to the foot of the faulty gaited leg. But be sure and shoe the foot or feet very light, and prepare the feet according to the chapter in this book on winging in or paddling out. If the feet are not properly prepared to help the pocket weight to control the faulty line of action, one will be working against the other, and the results will be unsatisfactory, but if properly performed as to foot fixing and weighting, and a little time to bring about the change results will be good. The hole in foot to receive the spur of the pocket weight should be about half way between toe and heel to get best results. The pocket weight should be used on inside of foot for winging in and on outside of foot for a paddler.