Shoeing/Trimming for stifle weakness?

[Heinz 57]

A friend and I were discussing the trim job on one of her horses recently - specifically, she was asking if my shoer would consider taking on her two horses. I rent her guest house, and the horses are on the property, so having one shoer and one appointment for all makes economical sense, and I gather she is less satisifed with the quality of work she's been receiving from her current provider. My personal opinion of her shoer's job is not high; his style is not what I prefer for sporthorses.

In terms of the trim on her mare, we were discussing how her shoer has been trimming, and how it affects the mare's weak stifles. Can a poor or inappropriate job contribute to weak stifles? Are there things that can be done to alleviate/help with stifle issues? She's barefoot behind at this point and has no need for shoes.

My shoer has agreed to take both horses on, and while I've always been satisfied with his work, I was interested in hearing the thoughts of our knowledgable folks here in the mean time.

:)

[buck22]

years and years ago my farrier would trim him short and aggressively roll the toes on my weak-stifled gelding so his breakover was minimal. It helped immensely.

Sadly, I didn't know much about feet back then, so though his hinds were kept nice and short, his fronts grew out of control, and no one knew any better at the time :(

[JB]

Can a poor or inappropriate job contribute to weak stifles?
Absolutely!!

Are there things that can be done to alleviate/help with stifle issues?
Absolutely :) Balanced trims are important regardless, but there are tweaks you can try that might be a little out of the "normal" trim. This might include rockering the toe a bit, it might include letting/helping the heels grow a little taller, etc. Keep in mind these are drastic differences - they can be very subtle, but because even small changes down low can expand exponentially as the movement travels up the leg, they can make a huge difference.

Some folks have good luck putting a wedge shoe/pad on for a couple of trim cycles, allowing some increased level of fitness to take place while the sore structure has some stress taken off it for a bit.

It's also possible that the issue is from the toes having too much vertical height, and fixing that - not even doing something "different" like the above - might be all that's needed.

But it also need to be determine what exactly the issue is. If it's strictly a weak stifle, then work is needed. If there is possibly a minor injury, rest might be needed in the short term, followed by rehab work. Has she ever had a vet take a look at the stifles?

What does your farrier have to say in terms of possible changes he can make? Has he seen the horse's feet yet?