There are these wide web thick Al shoes that the farriers out here are using on horses with assorted issues related to sore feet. That’s what my horse got post removing the creature from the black lagoon from his foot when regular shoes and normal pads/packing were not working. In itially they were paired with s thin leather pad with some sort of packing. They’re called ACR shoes and each comes in its own little plastic bag. I pay $75 extra per pair for them.
But best to make sure that you’ve done your due diligence on searching for a cause and made sure that there isn’t something residual from the thrush.
Not sure if hoof boots is something you are interested in, but I use Easy Boot Clouds on my old man who has issues every year when the ground freezes. I leave them on in the pen and have had no issues with them. I like that I can remove them daily, clean his hoof, apply whatever dressing I need, and I can insert pads (they sell different ones, and are quite easy to customize - soft, firm, wedges, etc). I use them in winter when it is icy - I just put studs on and my old man has solid traction.
Shoes have their place - I am not anti-shoe by any stretch of the imagination. I like boots because they allow me to access and assess the bottom of the foot whenever I want to. Shoes with pads limit access, so treating things can get tricky. I can also work with my farrier to change things up (even every few days) as needed without having to work about destroying hoof wall with nail holes. They are a nice option.
Thank you all again for all of the very helpful comments and ideas. I really do appreciate them!
We have an appointment for Thursday morning at the clinic. Depending on what further diagnostics show, we will have the farrier there take a look at her feet.
Although we discussed cutting out just the frogs of the pour ins, my farrier actually cut out the entire RF pour in and kept in the LF pour in. I took some quick pictures of the RF, which is where she is currently lame.
Let me know your thoughts based on these pictures – and please be nice!
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Might be an optical illusion, but on bottom photo inner wall looks slightly shorter than outside wall. If that is true, it can lead to an imbalance in the hoof and can lead to a strain of ligaments and tendons inside the hoof.
^^^^^ yes. Lateral hoof wall is left longer than medial and then shoe is also put on crooked. Your farrier needs new glasses.
How about pics of LF. Could also be imbalances there also.
This looks like a strong hoof, just needs careful balancing (trim) and shoe put on correctly.
And correct shoe size, looks like it may be a bit short over left heel.
Repeat: Not all vets or farriers can see problems in hoof due to imbalanced trim.
No wonder he’s sore.
The horse is not standing square for the foto shoot:)
she he has to be standing perfectly square on a clean surface for honest appraisal of the hooves:). I used to have to stand the front of my foundered horse on plywood to get clear pictures. You have a cement floor so that’s easy enough to get done but you may have to borrow someone to help you get her to “square up”.
which, if a horse is told to “square up” enough times along with a jiggle of the lead role or halter, they eventually learn to “square up” without a halter on:)
Far as taking sole shots – that’s a tough one. Sometimes I would take several pics of one hoof before I finally got one that showed the hoof “square”.
I do think there is a bit of excess hoof all around here. One thing that especially sticks out to me is the jammed hairline above the toe clip on the left side of the hoof (last pic). There is an imbalance of some sort there.
You can also see this in the side view. I think some of the comments are too harsh considering the photos aren’t taken quite right. But the hair/coronet line abnormality does show something is NQR.
If the whole pour in was cut out, then I’d tend to go back and say that you probably needed the pour in plus doing the injections. But whatever imbalance is going on with that trim also needs to be corrected.
To me, that RF hoof shot shows a too small shoe at just a couple of weeks from the last reshoe. It’s set back under the toe and looks like it’s not fully supporting the back of the heel.
Honestly, I’d wait for a complete work up, including reviewing the farrier work, at the clinic tomorrow. Are you locked into this farrier by your trainer ir are you free to seek another? They aren’t God so don’t assume they are correct and cannot be questioned.
My guess…this is no mystery…the pour in pads were too much…ouchie sole pressure… some horses with thin soles just can’t handle that MINE INCLUDED. Honestly any farrier I have ever dealt with would prefer to have the horse safely moving around as much as possible rather than on stall rest.
Hoof looks long. I remember you saying she has thin soles too. If the bones of the hoof and lower leg have dropped toward the ground (thin soles) then her digital cushion has collapsed and is not supporting her coffin bone. Do you have x-rays of her hoof? I would look at the angle of the coffin bone in relation to the ground. You’ll need your vets help reading the films because the wings of the coffin bone are rather transparent in an x-ray and it’s easy to use the wrong line as your reference. The way her frog goes so far toward her toe suggests that the internal structures have moved forward as they’ve flattened out. You want to see a frog wider at the back and shorter from heels to tip.
A collapse of this digital cushion and the resulting drop of the back of the coffin bone and all of the other bones of the hoof and leg above it cause more tension over the connective structured the run op the back of the hoof and leg bones. Especially the deep digital flexor tendon, navicular bone, and navicular bursa. This causes heel or “navicular” pain. This pain causes the horse to adopt a toe first hoof landing, and can be evidenced in things like the toe flare we see in the profile of your mares hoof. The trauma of a continuous toe first landing can cause the white line to separate, allowing for contamination, or just enough irritation in the laminae to cause an abscess.
Or maybe it’s a trick of the light and there is something completely different going on! But this is why it is so important to block different areas of the hoof until you find exactly where the pain is coming from.
If it IS heel pain you can inject the coffin joint or even the navicular bursa. A heart bar or egg bar shoe that gets all pressure off of her frog and stabilizes her heel might get you through the season. I would not even try aluminum because of how flexible it is. A wedge or rim pads might also help, but it’s kind of throwing darts to figure out what she likes. All of these things are band-aids and can cause further damage because they ignore the underlying issue. I understand you want to have a show season, just understand that if these are the underlying issues they must be dealt with. Getting a horse like this “sound” just kicks the can down the road and the horse won’t be really right until the back of the hoof is developed properly.
I hope you’ll keep us updated. I’m rooting for you and your mare and you getting her squared away quickly so you can get back in to the ring!
Thanks for all the comments! I unfortunately just learned that it’s not guaranteed that the farrier at the clinic will be able to see us tomorrow, but these comments confirmed for me that I need another farrier to look at and work on her — so I will make that happen one way or another. And I do have x-rays that I can send via PM.
