Shoeing Evaluations

Most horse owners are familiar with the old adage "No foot, no horse." Now, thanks to advances in technology and a better understanding of hoof balance, we are able to fully optimize your horse's performance with the aid of a shoeing evaluation. Equerry is proud to be the first to offer this unique service to farriers, veterinarians and horse owners of Vancouver Island. Dr. Scruton has a keen interest in farriery and during his residency in Colorado, he was widely exposed to the 'Natural Balance' system of horse shoeing. Colin then spent a year teaching and working in Glasgow Scotland where Jim Ferrie FWCF worked as a farrier. Jim is a fourth generation farrier who, along with his brother, owns one of the largest farriery practices in Britain. Jim's specialty is in the treatment of lameness. Because Colin has been able to glean the benefit of both 'natural balance' and British methods of shoeing, he is confident in his ability to work together with a farrier to assess and discuss a horse's hoof balance and type of shoeing. The first step of a shoeing evaluation involves an analytical inspection of a horse's feet in their current state, followed by the horse being walked and trotted in hand on a hard level surface. Next, pre-shoeing digital radiographs are taken which allows an immediate view of the internal structures of the feet as well as the medial and lateral balance of the shoe or trim. Angles and measurements are taken on the radiograph from which trimming and shoeing options are derived. Your farrier will then shoe or trim your horse accordingly and another set of radiographs will be taken to see if the goals of the evaluation have been met. In some cases it may be necessary to have this process repeated over the next one or two shoeing cycles as certain corrections cannot be made drastically. If it is determined the horse's lameness is not due to its shoeing, proceeding to a full lameness evaluation becomes an option and will be discussed with the owner.