6 things you didn’t know about your horses feet.

Look at the coronet. For example, if the medial aspect is narrower than the lateral aspect, it may indicate added pressure on the medial side of that foot. 

Look for uneven wear of the shoe. For example if the lateral part of the shoe appears more worn, your horse may be landing lateral high (landing on the outer side of the foot first.) He should be landing flat. 

Ask your farrier to see the horse walking and trotting towards him and away from him before and after shoeing. 
This will allow him to make sure the horse is also landing flat. 

Having your horses feet x-rayed (a single lateral picture of each foot) on a yearly basis can tell your farrier a lot about what is going on inside the foot and help to shoe accordingly. 

When looking at your horses feet from the sole, you should be able to draw a horizontal line across the widest part of the foot and see approximately 50% of the foot in front of and behind this line. Therefore, when considering biomechanical efficiency, the distance and force on either side of the line drawn through the widest part of the foot should approximate each other (equilibrium), thus maintaining an excellent centre of rotation and reducing stress on the coffin joints. 

Remedial shoeing tip: Ask you vet/farrier which surface your horse should be rehabilitated on. For example the open toed shoe is used for both heel pain and laminitis. If the pony is kept on hard ground, pressure is relieved from the toe. However, if it is worked on a sand surface, the open toe will sink first, and the wide webbed caudal portion will sit on the surface, relieving tension from the heel. So always ask!!