Developed in France during the 17th century, the shoe was forged to protect the heel from corns or bruising. However, the French didn’t call them corns. Rather, they were called onions — hence the name of the shoe.

If protection of the seat of corn didn’t reveal the mechanical nature of the shoe, its broad heels and thin toe certainly do. The onion-heel shoe allows the horse’s heels to float on the footing while encouraging the toe to penetrate. While the original intent of the shoe was to protect the seat of corn, its design benefits the foot and distal limb in other ways.

• Treatment of sensitive heels and some navicular stress and caudal pathologies.
• Protection of the heels and bars, as well recruiting the bars for weight-bearing.
• Reduction of pressure on the deep digital flexor tendon, which can be enhanced by thinning the toe or reducing the web width.
• Provide support for disorders exhibiting a lesion on the sesamoid bone or sesamoid ligament desmopathy.
• Beneficial for horses that are not suited for egg-bar shoes such as 3-day eventers or fox hunters.