If one branch of the shoe had a wider web, you would be adding flotation to that branch and preventing it from settling as far into soft ground. A bar shoe will add flotation while an egg bar shoe will add flotation as well as support. Adding flotation to the whole shoe keeps the whole shoe closer to the surface, while adding flotation to a part of the shoe keeps that part of the shoe closer to the ground surface. By using this principle, we can improve the way a horse moves. The heel shown in Figure C offers more support and flotation than the heel in figure D. Also affecting flotation and support are the cut and finish of the heels of shoes.
Many horses carry more weight on one side of the foot than the other because of their conformation.
In soft footing conditions, the heavy side of the foot sinks into the ground more and as ground conditions change, the balance of the foot changes. A horse that wings or interferes is often carrying more weight on one side of the foot than the other. In such a case you might consider using a side weight or side-support shoe, which features a wider web on one side of the shoe than the other, thereby making it capable of bearing more weight on that side. The webs of these shoes are wider at the toe than at the heels, making the heels less able to carry weight. Toe-weight shoes should normally be avoided for the show horse.