Plastic fantastic

Hope is being given to owners of equines with hoof problems, thanks to a new type of plastic shoe. Farrier Andrew Poynton originally designed the Imprint therapeutic shoe to treat laminitics but it’s now also used to help horses with damaged feet and limb problems in newborn foals.

“The thermoplastic shoe is softened then moulded to the shape of the horse’s foot,” explains Andrew. Andrew says the benefits are that the shoe is quick to fit and doesn’t involve the trauma of banging in nails. “The shoe allows for the hoof to expand and flex as an unshod foot would,” he adds. “It provides protection and support where needed.  Plastic shoes have been around for a while but I felt they weren’t a great fit and didn’t stay on well.”