Why another pad?

As we are looking for more ways to improve the health of our horses and help them keep going in an increasingly demanding industry, there are a growing number of studies proving the benefits of frog support, sole depth, straight hoof pastern axis and caudal support for barefoot and shod horses alike.

The hufpad is simply a frog support pad, meant to be applied between the shoe and the hoof. In order to provide horses with the frog support that they need, we wanted to focus on ease of application and functionality for the horse:

• Durable material that will last the entire shoeing interval, hopefully with a few resets, and during the whole time provide the support needed.

• Flexible and soft enough that the frog support will not cause pressure on compromised hooves and prolapsed frogs.

• A common problem with many existing pads is that the packing tends to come out, reducing the effectiveness of the pad and increasing the risk of damage caused by dirt and stones. Therefore we have added grip into the frog support to hold the packing in place.

• Fitting pads take extra time in an already tight schedule for the farrier. We added guidelines to the back of the pad to make it quicker to adjust the pad to the correct size.

• Many of the pads out there are not large enough for the bigger riding horses and smaller drafts. Our pads fit up to a size 5 horseshoe, making it more versatile. Most larger hooves definitely require some kind of caudal hoof support, and we wanted to make sure hufpad accommodates them as well.

1.  How do I install hufpads?

Answer: Simply cut out the appropriate size using the size guide on the underside of the pad. Then finetune with scissors, nippers or sander to precisely match your horseshoe. Attaching the pad to the shoe with a couple of nails can help with attachment. Remember to use a good quality hoof pack!

2. Do I need hoof packing too?

Answer: We strongly recommend using hoof packing for two main reasons: 1) using hoof packing in the collateral grooves prevents stones and dirt from getting between the hoof and the pad. 2) Packing the collateral grooves with a good quality hoof pack fully engages the frog and digital cushion to get the most benefit from hufpads.
NOTE: Be careful not to put too much packing  between the hoof and pad. Avoid sensitive areas such as the tip of the frog and the sole directly underneath the coffin bone, unless you have extremely soft packing.

3. Where can I buy them?

Answer: Currently our pads are for sale at our retailer hevari.fi

4. How long do they last?

Answer: The flexible and durable material of hufpads ensure that they will last at least two shoeing intervals in a normal environment with normal wear. With less abrasive surfaces and lightly exercised horses, they may last longer.

5. What tools do I need to cut them?

Answer: Hufpads can be cut with nippers or heavy duty scissors/shears. They can also be rasped to shape, or shaped with sanders or grinding machines.

6. Why do hufpads help with health and performance?

Answer: Hufpads are flexible frog support pads meant for use with open heel shoes. They restore the open-heeled shod horse with more anatomically correct ground contact. They help with coordination since the frog gets ground pressure sooner, and it helps the heels of the hoof to carry the horses weight, preventing collapse of the caudal part of the hoof structures.

7. My horse has thrush. Is it true that using pads will make this worse?

Answer: We often use frog support pads to treat thrush. We put finely ground copper sulphate underneath the pads and packing, which ensures that the treatment is in place for your entire shoeing interval. This has proven to be a very effective way to treat thrush. With extensive thrush that also travels between the heel bulbs, the owner can still apply treatment to the back part of the hoof, regardless of whether the pads are in place.

8. I've heard that long term use of pads softens the sole. Is this true?

Answer: It is not directly true. The pads themselves do not soften soles. However, if pads are used without packing and the horse lives in a wet environment, or there is a lot of dirt and/or stones getting between the pad and the hoof, the water and dirt will get between the hoof and pad and generally stay there, thereby softening and wearing down the soles.
Therefore we recommend copper sulphate and a good quality soft hoof pack underneath the pads.

9. My horse needs pads, but every time we have put them on, the horse becomes sore. Will your pads be any different?

Answer: In our experience, there are a couple of main reasons why a horse may react negatively to "pads" in general. 1) many pads are made of hard plastic, and do not flex sufficiently. If the horse has a prolased frog or thin sole, this may cause too much pressure and the horse will be sore. 2) The use of either no packing at all or too much packing can cause immediate soreness. If no packing is used, dirt and stones will get between the hoof and pad and make the horse sore. If too much packing is used, or the packing is too hard, this may cause too much pressure to sensitive structures such as the sole, the tip of the coffin bone, the heel bars etc.

10. What kind of hoof pack do you recommend?

Answer: We recommend medium or soft two component packing that sets after mixing so that the packing retains its shape. Pour-in packing, used with a dispenser gun, can be risky since it is more difficult to decide where the packing will end up. The kind that you mix by hand can be positioned exactly where you want it. We liked to minimise packing to the collateral grooves and frog area only to avoid pressure that might make a horse uncomfortable.