Comment 1: hoofforeeya
If you use such a frog-pressing-thing, all the pressure will go on the navicular area. And that´s where the blood comes into the hoof, so there will be less blood-circulation because this thing "closes" the veins, even if it seems like more movement.
That´s also why lame horses walk pretty good with frog-pressing elements; they have an anescetic effect.

Answere 1: SwedishHoofSchool
On what do you base this reasoning?
To my knowledge only the apex of the frog reaches as far front as the Navicular bone and my test shows that pressure under the back part of the frog does hardly interfere with this region at all. If an activated frog would diminish the blood circulation in the hoof how would you explain the fact that we see a remarkable increase in growth rate and healing capacity when the frog is activated by trimming or by adding a frog pads?
/Ove

Comment 2: hoofforeeya
FFS, you are young but you will learn that there are many "accepted" versions of how blood enters and exits the hoof. But my understanding (SHP course 2006 and extensive knowledge in biological things as a result of a career in scientific illustration) is that when the wall expands in circumferance (weighted), blood's drawn into the laminar corium and pushed out of the venous plexus. Lifting the foot, blood is squeezed out and into tne collecting venous p. in the caudal portion of the foot.
Frog is basically like an expansion device. As the lateral cartilages spread apart, the frog flatten and stretches from side to side. If the bars are weight-bearing, they will limit the expansion of the capsule and press on the arteries feeding the frog. The frog tissue dies, like ex. has. SHS's reason for adding frog pad (but shouldn't apply constant pressure). The better remedy for lack of frog is to GROW one by properly trimming bars, lowering heels, moisture, movement & mechanism!
But if you trim the bars and don't soak and don't move the horse, he will contract further. So SHS is offering an alternative to stimulate frog circulation. There are many ways to get to a healthy foot and this seems to be a viable alternative if you don't have trimming expertise or access to hoof clinic conditions.

Answere 2: SwedishHoofSchool
I wonder if you referred to the age of my body or my mind? However, I can not see how it matters. (The dinosaurs ruled the world for a long long time but still now they are gone.)

I'm in the middle of a large study on distal descent which includes 200 hooves cut across as close to the pressure point (center of gravity) as possible. I just looked at about 100 of the photographs to see if I could find this blood supply you are referring to and yes I can see the larger blood vessels but they are not positioned any where near the bars or the frog. Instead they are to the left and the right of the deep digital flexor tendons just below the navicular bone. This must put them in a rather protected position where the pressure from ground can not do any real harm.

I absolutely agree that trimming the bars is completely essential for hoof health but my opinion is that it is more important fore the shape of the hoof than for blood circulation. The size of the frog, or more the frog pressure, on the other hand is completely essential for the blood circulation within the hoof. Without a really good frog pressure the hoof mechanism only reaches a fraction of the pumping capacity compared to a healthy hoof. I have a fantastic video sequence showing this but I have saved that one for the attendees on my seminars. This video also shows that the traditional opinion about hoof mechanism is what it looks like when it doesn't work. It is quite amazing really.

As a seasoned trimmer responsible for ten thousands of successful hoof rehabilitations I would say that there are hooves when you by treating the thrush, which is the most common causes for poor frog pressure (traditional hoof care excluded), will create frog pressure but still when the frog is in a really bad shape and too far away from the ground the frog pad is an excellent tool for activating the frog (clinic conditions or not). Without good frog pressure you will never get a healthy frog.

There is so much more too this (and I do cover it on the seminars) but it is much better explained with the use of photographs and video sequences. Please come to a seminar (or else you will have to wait for the DVD-series or the book).
/Ove