PLR Alu Wedge 1 Front Unclipped

The Natural Balance PLR (Performance Leverage Reduction) BAR shoe is the next generation in aluminum performance & treatment foot wear for horses.

As the demands on performance horses has increased over the decades, so has a need to update the way we care for their feet. The latest information regarding pathology in pleasure and performance horses is suggesting that the lack of leverage relief foot offered by either foot wear or the terrain is a primary cause.  Strain or lesions on the DDFT and the connective tissue around the coffin (DIP) joint is a growing concern based on MRI findings over the last several years. Because horses were not particularly designed to turn and run in tight circles, the joint in the lower limb and especially the coffin joint takes a beating. When the connective tissue and the joint surface itself becomes traumatized, the soundness & performance of the horse rapidly decreases.

Reducing the leverage to the joint by bringing the breakover point of a shoe within a given proximity to the center of articulation has proven to be extremely beneficial as a treatment protocol. When this approach also includes the reduction of leverage both medially and laterally, the results are even better. Now that we have a better understanding of the causes to so many of these pathologies, and the treatments that are working to remedy them, we now have some guidelines on ways to prevent these lameness issues.

The optimized reduction of leverage offered by the NB PLR, PLR Race & PLR BAR shoe is proving to not only be a superior tool for treating lameness, but also for preventing lameness and improving performance. The simple fact is that horses who are free of pain, thanks to a reduction in the amount of effort it takes to move, will perform better and stay sounder longer. That is what the NB PLR Line of shoes offers the performance horse.