Full flat pads are one of the most commonly used pads by horseshoers and most farriers will want to carry a selection of them in their shoeing rigs.

Farriers use full flat pads for a variety of reasons and purposes. Among them are included:

• Protecting the sole and frog from rocky and rough terrain.
• Providing added protection for a sore-footed or tender-soled horse.
• To add height to a shoeing package — particularly with gaited horses.
• To support the sole and frog.
• To provide protection for an injured foot — often performing the dual purpose of keeping dirt and debris away from a wound or other injury while also holding medicated hoof packing in place.

Whatever your reason for using these pads, your success will depend on using and applying them properly. And that means you need to pay as much attention to what goes under the pad as you do to the pad itself.

Materials Vary

One thing you can be sure of, you’ll have no shortage of options for full pads. They are available in almost as many sizes and materials as are horseshoes.

In a long career as a farrier, Blake Brown from Penryn, Calif., has seen full pads go through a steady evolution.

“Years ago, leather was the choice,” he says. “We’d buy sides of hide and cut our own out of them. Eventually, manufacturers started making them. But many farriers still prefer leather over any other material, and they still seem to be the standard in…