Visited a big training barn in Ohio and noticed nobody was using wedges

I was out at a jumper barn near Columbus last Thursday checking some of their competition horses. Out of 12 horses I trimmed, not a single one had wedge pads or any kind of built-up shoe on the hind end. The trainer told me they just focus on balance and let the hoof do the work. Kinda made me rethink how often I reach for wedges on my regular clients. Has anyone else seen a shift away from wedge pads in the last year or two?

3 comments

3 Comments

riley_west1mo ago

This is exactly what I've been seeing too. Not just with horses but with way too many people overcomplicating stuff in general. It's like everyone thinks they need some fancy fix when the simple basics work fine. That trainer's approach makes total sense - let the body do what it's supposed to do and stop trying to outsmart nature. Sometimes the best thing you can do is just get out of the way and let the horse's own mechanics handle it.

oscarw831mo ago

So is there a point where "letting nature work" actually does more harm than good?

grant_hart1mo ago

Man I read a study last year from some vet school out west that basically said the same thing... they looked at a bunch of horses with hind end issues and the ones without wedges actually had better long term soundness. Makes you wonder how many problems we're actually creating by trying to fix things that aren't broken. That trainer in Ohio sounds like they're onto something real.