Some specially designed rim pads, such as the Luwex pad, are marketed as a treatment for sheared heels because of the pads' shock-absorbing qualities, according to EQ Inc., the pads' manufacturer. As with many other health problems, prevention appears to be more effective than treatment. The common shoeing cycle, in which the foot is allowed to get long and to change shape before it's trimmed back into balance, is very hard on your horse's leg and hoof structures. It's much better to maintain that balance with more-frequent trimmings. Sigafoos says no.
Most good farriers have far more work than they can handle, especially in the warm-weather months.
Another preventive measure that might be beneficial, Sigafoos adds, is to adopt the harness-track practice of regular poulticing if your horse's feet are very dry. If you're not sure whether his feet are dry enough to warrant poulticing, check with your veterinarian. He considers navicular syndrome, laminitis, hoof cracks and the like to be far more severe, and adds that sheared heels alone rarely cause lameness. With the implementation of a trimming and shoeing strategy that allows the horse to move and land in balance with his own unique conformation, he says, most cases of sheared heels clear up on their own.