Quote Box

Kate Rapley

“Last Autumn my mare competed in hunter trials, intro level one day events and show jumped – not bad for a 22 year old who went lame aged 18 with foot pain! I have owned her since she was 7 years old and she has always had poor feet which are small, prone to cracking, sensitive to stones and very slow growing. My farrier did a great job shoeing her for many years and she has lead a busy life and stayed sound until she was 18. That summer she just ran out of foot to nail into, she had mediolateral imbalances and her heels were sore. Nerve blocks and xrays proved the pain was in the feet and there was no evidence of arthritis, so my farrier directed me to Andrew for Imprint shoes. She was sound after the first shoeing with Imprint Sport shoes, which can be specially built up to cater for her imbalances and cracked hoof wall. She has worn these shoes in front ever since and has had no further foot lameness. She has continued to be active, doing a great variety of activities with no special consideration paid to her shoes or feet. She lives out and I find the shoes last slightly longer than steel shoes. She doesn’t lose shoes prematurely, even if its muddy. Previously I had tried feeding and applying a great variety of supplements and hoof treatments, all of which were unsuccessful in correcting her poor hoof wall. Now she has strong hoof wall horn under the Imprint shoes with no cracking and a little bit of heel growth. She strides out confidently over stony ground and negotiates downward slopes now with enthusiasm! I think without these shoes my mare would have been retired four years ago, but as it is she is still going strong and will continue to be shod this way.”
– Kate Rapley.