thoughts on uneven feet

Been out of the saddle now for a few days with my ankle surgery. Lots of time to contemplate. My latest thought is, "No wonder horses with bad shoeing jobs have sore backs!" Walking around on crutches with one leg longer than the other due to the big cast on it, is killing my back! Looking forward to the end of this week when it comes off and I even get to swim during my non-weight-bearing phase of recovery. All my muscles seem to have gone into immediate atrophy (a real problem with stall rest!) As you may know, the only sure way to check the lateral levelness of the horse's hoof is from an exray. The vet can give helpful recommendations to the shoer, who then must make a mental note of the corrections needed. From the side, it's easier to know when you have it right, but never simple. Shoers can measure the angles, but slight differences in the hoofs due to the horse's preferred way of grazing or eating hay, almost always wear one foot different than the other. This causes the heels of one front foot to be higher and makes it hard to gain symetrical balance. It also impacts saddle fit, since the horse also is likely to have an alteration in his shoulder. It moves up, that is, high heels on a hoof =  high shoulder on that side.So, the saddle can be flocked to accommodate your crooked horse by filling the low side, toward the front/shoulder area with flocking until it sits more level. Saddle discussion next time.