BECKY MOODY’S 18.lhh Furston Hit’s feet weren’t coping with his size, the way he was moving and the work expected of him. Conventional farriery couldn’t help when his heels collapsed and his feet distorted, splitting in the outside quarter.

“My vet Peter decided he could try something more radical, taking away the collapsed horn and working with my farrier to rebuild the foot;” said Becky.

Dean used structural adhesive and heart bar shoes and the horse came back into work, but he said: “As Furston Hit increased his work, the plastic proved too hard and the metal didn’t move with the foot enough. Peter and I felt we were doing the right thing, but with the wrong materials. I had trained with Andrew Poynton, who has developed the Imprint system using plastic granules [Imprint Hoof Repair] to rebuild [the hoof] and plastic sports shoes, so we tried that. The difference was immediate because the new plastics were more flexible.

“His feet are growing more normally now, but these shoes are more than just remedial, they allow him not only to remain sound, but to perform at the level at which Becky believes he’s capable.”

Becky Moody pulled off four wins at Manor Grange Stud, South Yorks (20 June) – two elementaries with Will Torr’s Westhills Annalore and two mediums with Julie Lockey’s Furston Hit, all of them scoring 70% plus.

Furston Hit, an 18.1hh eight-year­ old by Furst Heinrich, was making his comeback after 18 months off “He’s quite lightly competed, so these wins were exciting as we’d just come for the outing,” said Becky.

Article courtesy of Horse & Hound © Copyright Horse & Hound/ IPC Media