I finally stopped rasping my heels flat after a client called me out on it

I had a client last month who's been around horses for 40 years. She watched me trim her gelding and said 'you're taking those heels down too level with the sole, they need more shape'. I thought she was just being picky at first. But I took a closer look and realized she was right. My heels were too flat and I was leaving the frog sitting too high in the back. Now I leave a little more heel height and shape it into the bar area. Has anyone else had a horse owner spot something you were missing? I'm still new to the trade, only about 3 years in, so I'm trying to learn from every set of eyes.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_robin10d ago

Is the risk that over time those flat heels could actually change how the horse moves behind?

lisas7810d agoMost Upvoted

Oh absolutely, I've seen this happen with a few horses over the years. @the_robin you're right to be concerned because flat heels can really mess with the whole back end over time. When the heel is too low or flat, it puts way more strain on the suspensory ligaments and can cause the horse to stumble or drag their toes. Plus it changes the angle of the fetlock joint, which eventually leads to them moving stiff or uneven behind. I had a gelding years ago with naturally flat feet and his owner let them stay too low for a few months, ended up with a mild strain in his hind end that took forever to fix. Have you noticed any changes in how your horse tracks up behind?

alext5210d ago

Honestly gonna push back on that a bit. Flat heels arent automatically bad, it really depends on the horse and what kind of work theyre doing. @lisas78 makes a good point about suspensory strain, but sometimes a flat heel actually helps a horse that naturally lands toe first or has a really upright pastern. Ive seen farriers intentionally lower heels to help with certain lameness issues, especially in the hind end where a steep angle can cause hock pain. The risk is more about ignoring the overall balance of the foot rather than the heel height alone. Horses can adapt to flat heels if theyre trimmed regularly and the shoeing is consistent. If the horse moves fine now and doesnt drag toes or stumble, changing the heel might cause more harm than good.