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Balancing and Shoeing Trotting and Pacing Horses

Chapter 23: XX. SIDEWEIGHTS.
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About This Book

A practical, experience-based manual for balancing and shoeing light-harness horses that emphasizes foot preparation, trimming and shoe selection to correct or prevent faulty gaits. It offers routine care for foals and young stock, step-by-step guidance for preparing the sole and frog, and diagnostic approaches to common problems such as winging, paddling, interfering, forging, scalping, contracted heels, corns and hoof cracks. The author explains adjustments in trimming, the use of various shoe types and weights, frog pressure and bar shoes, and methods to reduce concussion and uneven wear, aiming to provide clear, actionable remedies to maintain sound, efficient action.

XX. SIDEWEIGHTS.

Sideweight shoes with the weight on the outside have a different effect or result on front and hind action. An outside weight shoe on a front foot has a tendency to make the leg wing in, and an outside weight shoe on a hind foot will widen and lengthen the stride, if feet are properly prepared, so you see it widens the hind action and closes the front action. To close the action of the front leg with this sideweight, lower the front foot on the inside. To widen the action of hind leg, lower the inside of hind feet. This sideweight shoe will help a paddler that has to carry a little weight, if you will lower the inside of the foot, but it is no good for a knee knocker. The outside weight shoe has a different effect on front and hind action, has a tendency to close one and widen the other.

Sideweight shoes are good to correct the following faulty lines of action if the feet are correctly prepared for them to help the shoe, for if the foot, or feet, are not properly fixed to help the line of action this faulty fixed foot will work against the effect of the sideweight, and the results will be very unsatisfactory. Sideweight shoes are best for winging in, or paddling out, with front legs, hitching or hopping or carrying a hind leg in, out of line, or carrying a hind leg between the front legs, also good for a wheel swinging hind leg.