Quite often, an owner, trainer, or farrier will fall heir to a horse that is completely awry as far as training or shoeing is concerned. Evaluating the problem requires the establishment of a K.D.P., or known datum point as it is known to surveyors.

The K.D.P. is a compilation of all that you know about the horse at this specific point in time. The more information you can formulate, the more accurate your training and/or shoeing program will be. The K.D.P. is the basis for maintaining records of shoeing and training. Recording the K.D.P. of a fresh shoeing job entails specific key points.

Aside from the usual observations of way of standing and going, several things need to be carefully noted. The balance of the foot preparation, including the length of the toes and the angle of each foot, needs to be recorded. The style and weight of the new shoes, as well as any accessories added to the shoes, should be noted. Before a fresh shoeing job, observing the wear of the old shoes can add a great deal of information to your K.D.P. Uneven side wearing and position of the wear of breakover are useful aides in establishing an accurate set of records.

Some horses have been so jammed around in their shoes that it is difficult to tell if the shoeing is helping or hindering the animal. Should a horse come within your stewardship carrying an unusual amount of excess baggage in the form of unnatural balance and/or exotic horseshoes, the farrier and trainer will have some decision-making to do. Unless the horse had come with a manual of shoeing, training, and instruction, the K.D.P. must be evaluated from what you see.

If the trainer or owner is satisfied with the horse's performance, it will be important to replicate the previous work. If there is room for improvement, get back to good, sound basic shoeing and design a sensible program from that point. These same principles will apply when first placing young horses into a shoeing and training program. The following is an outline of elemental horseshoeing, including foot preparation, shoe selection, and application.