For The Farrier
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Why Farriers Use The Black Pads
The pads are not intended to replace your judgment. They allow you to keep control of trim, balance, shoe selection, shoe placement and modification — while replacing the rigid rear shoe section with a wide, impact-absorbing heel cleat.
Application Notes
Band saw, nippers, shears, grinder, hot knife, nail recommendations, beveling instructions.
When to Consider Them
Heel soreness, thin soles, underrun heels, quarter cracks, bruising, workload-related soreness, running down behind.
What to Tell the Owner
Comfort can improve quickly, but meaningful hoof improvement usually takes 2–3 shoeing cycles.
That last piece is very important because you already say the pads may make horses more comfortable immediately but will not “fix” long-term issues overnight.
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1. Tool Compatibility:
The high-durability polymer is designed to be worked with standard shop tools. For the cleanest finish, we recommend a band saw or grinder. For interior modifications, a hot knife provides maximum precision.
2. Hardware Recommendation:
Extensive testing suggests that Size 4 1/2 or 5 Slim nails provide the most secure seat and optimal pitch within the pad material.
3. Customizing for Pathology:
* Frog Relief: If a horse is sensitive to bridge pressure, use a grinder to bevel the pad’s interior edge for a custom fit.
* Traction Control: Grooves can be ground down to meet the specific mechanical needs of the horse's gait or surface.
3. Performance Expectations:
While immediate comfort is common, structural hoof improvement is typically measured over 2 to 3 shoeing cycles.
Tips and Hacks we’ve learned - many are from our customers! 👍
- The pads are tough, which is what makes them last, but you can trim them to your desired shape using a band saw, nippers or sharp shears.
- After fitting the shoe and cutting it to the correct length to marry with the pad, bevel the edges smooth for a clean fit and to eliminate abrasion of the pad.
- A hot knife works great to trim any of the interior portion you’d like modified.
- We have found (actually, learned this from one of our farrier friends 😊) that a size 5 Race or 5 Slim nail works well when using our pads.
- For those horse with prominent frogs or any horse who might be getting too much frog pressure in the “bridge” area, an easy fix is just take the pad to the grinder and bevel the pad to accommodate the frog area and ensure a good fit.
- Customize the pads to your horse’s needs – if you feel there is too much material in the heel, take it down (with the grinder) – the same for the toe. If you feel your horse needs less traction, grind a bit off the grooves.
- Our experience has been that putting the pads on a horse will make them more comfortable immediately; however, as you well know, most hoof issues occur over time and often a very long time presenting themselves. While our pads will not “fix” these issues overnight, you WILL find that in the course of 2 or 3 shoeing cycles with the pads, you will see improvement.
- Finally, we love feedback from our customers, especially the Farriers! If you have any concerns, suggestions, or feedback of any kind, please feel free to contact us via your preferred method: Email: docfoals@gmail.com; message us from our website: com or our Facebook page: @docfoals or you can call or text us at: 302.632.7422.