Q. "How would you shoe a crushed heel, bull-nosed hind foot?"

—A Nebraska farrier

A. I would probably go with a wedged egg bar and fit it a little longer in the front of the foot, then bevel the shoe off a bit. 

The shoe would fit maybe a quarter inch longer than the foot itself and I would bevel it off from the foot down, leaving the extra length on the ground surface of the shoe. That way if the toe was stepped on, the other foot could slip off rather than pull off the shoe.

I would probably recommend an aluminum shoe because of the lightness. Steel would be acceptable as well, but it would be a tough shoe to make by hand.

—Danny Ward, Martinsville, Va.

A. With a situation like that, you’re dealing with a conformational problem and there is no pat answer.

You can try to help the horse go better, but you’re not going to be able to eliminate the problem. You really have to observe the horse and go from there.

The biggest problem is the heel problem. If you can deal with the heels and get the heel supported properly, you’ll be better able to handle the toe problem and it’s possible it might even take care of itself.

The biggest part of the cause is the tendon or tissue growth is far ahead of the bone growth.

—Lee Green, Yucaipa, Calif.

A. Bull-nosed hind feet with weak heels are not very…