Farriers will often roll or rocker the toes of horseshoes in an attempt to quicken or ease “breakover”, which is the point at which the heel of the foot raises off of the ground during locomotion.

When ROLLING the shoe, the farrier rasps or grinds the corner of the shoe where it meets the ground surface at the toe area. The 90-degree angle at this corner is eliminated and is therefore removed from the breakover process. This would be similar to wearing the corner of your sneaker down at the toe until the rubber was at an angle to the ground surface.

Rolling is often done in combination with "setting" the shoe, which refers to pulling the shoe backward and behind the horse's toe margin. Following application, the farrier will usually remove (or "dress") any wall extending beyond the margin of the shoe to prevent damage to the exposed toe during exercise. Leverage is further reduced via setting of the shoe, thereby increasing ease of limb breakover. Although quickening breakover can be helpful in some cases, we have found that over-shortening the toe and setting the shoe can also have deleterious effects on the horse's foot.

When ROCKERING the shoe, the farrier elevates the front of the shoe off of the ground, usually at a mild angle. The front corner of the shoe is completely lifted off of the ground and is therefore not incorporated in the breakover process. This would be similar to bending the toe of your sneaker upward until it was completely off of the ground. Rockering the shoe influences where along the toe the foot will break over, so it is important that the farrier be aware of the foot’s normal breakover pattern.

A rockered shoe is generally fit completely to the horse's toe (rather than "set" back and underneath the toe), so normal compressive stress along this tissue is preserved. We have found that imposing dorsal weightbearing stress along the horse's toe is an important part of maintaining overall foot integrity and health.