What is the best way to help develop, support, or grow a heel. My OTTB has little to no heel. My farrier suggested we pull shoes this winter but I am not sure that is the best idea. I was thinking about trying Farriers Formula Extra Strength and / or maybe putting him in a bar shoe to support. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
I’ve found most “support” will just break the heel down even more.
I’ve had my OTTB barefoot for a close to 2 years now, and it’s the best thing I could have done for his long term soundness. His soles were so thin dirt clods would make him limp, and he couldn’t hold a shoe for longer than 6 weeks, but didn’t grow enough hoof to be trimmed more often than every 6 weeks. The 6 week cycle wasn’t short enough to get his toe under control.
I boot often and have also done glue-ons for 2-3 weeks at a time, but the very frequent trims is the #1 thing I credit with the drastic change in his hoof shape.
My horse’s back feet are fine, but the front heels get low. He’s always been shod in front, which can lead to mare wear on the heel. However, taking the shoes off isn’t necessarily the answer. My farrier, who is fantastic and really knows his stuff, recommended we put heart bar shoes on him, which cover the frog and heel, as well as the normal rim of the hoof that a normal shoe covers. The heart bar helps protect low heels by keeping them at the same level as the rest of the shod foot, which keeps the heels from grinding down as they can in a regular shoe or barefoot horse. (A professional farrier might object to such a general description, but it’s the best I can do to translate the more technical explanation I was given.)
(Here’s a link with a pic of more or less what they look like: http://michiganhorseshoes.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=47568378)
The change for the better has been noticeable while riding and my farrier has been pleased to note that there is has been substantial heel growth since we put the shoes on a few months ago.
FWIW, my farrier also thinks most treatments you put on the hoof are awful (just hold in moisture and weaken the foot wall).
TBs are prone to underrun heels. If he can stand being barefoot it can help particularly since you can address the heels every other week whereas 6-8 weeks in a shoe will leave them folded forward which only puts more pressure on the growing heels to keep growing forward. Look up solutions for “Long toe, low heel.”
I agree with netg and gypsymare. If you can manage it, going barefoot does a world of good for many horses. It does take management though-- you may have to go through a tender-footed adjustment period, give some time off/light riding and really watch the footing and/or use hoof boots. But the great thing about feet is they adapt to conditions…given time, good trims, and thoughtful use, the sole will thicken, concavity will develop, and the foot will be stronger overall. It’s easier to stay on top of underrun heels and flares, too.
I also like to use Keratex or Crossapol to help the hardening process. If you pull shoes for winter, make sure you do it NOW while the ground is soft. Yanking shoes in January on frozen moonscape ground is a recipe for buised, sore disaster.
Barefooting will also help encourage growth and reshape of the hoof. In my experience - 30 years of it and going through a trimming certification years ago based on vet science - if you put shoes on a horse - wait 6-8 weeks - that toe grows FORWARD and encourages the horse to put more weight on the back of his foot and this not encourage the heel to sit up - you want this horse on top of his hoof and you want him kept trimmed - like a barefoot horse if managed correctly - the angles will not change. the horse is always on top of his hoof because there isn’t this 6-8 weeks toe grow out with the shoe between shoeings. Make sense?
Unless your horse’s hooves are already upright which that would mean a lot of heel but potentially constriction which is unhealthy - in that case, the toe doesn’t grow forward and do that.
I am not totally against shoeing - I just wish people who snark at barefooting would at LEAST recognize that shoeing compromises things. You have to own that.
So what I have done with the TBs I have helped rehab is - keep the toes back as much as possible, give the horse flaxseed and biotin supplement. Work the horse - trim to encourage the hoof to cup and do not let the sides flare out too much - people get excited barefooting and letting the hoof bell out - then they end up with pancakes - this is especially bad for the already flat footed TB.
I also encourage working the horse as much as possible consistently - moving encourages hoof growth - and if the horse is thin soled, ride in the arena or on grass - paint the hoof with turpentine…
GOOD LUCK!
We used an unusual technique on one of my horses that my former farrier has had good luck with elsewhere as well.
It takes a bit of willingness to experiment and some time, but I was pleased. The shoe we started with was a basic St. Croix Eventer, and my farrier welded a bar to the bottom of the shoe, so that there was no wedge pressure between the hoof and the shoe itself – this horse was rather coon footed, and that helped his angles, without further crushing the heels.
Then, he trimmed away all of the underrun heel, put the shoe on with a gap of space between the now trimmed away heel, and the shoe. He would fold a piece of cardboard into that space, as sort of a placeholder, and then pour the foot with the soft pour in pad material.
With the space somewhat stabilized by the pour in pad + the folded cardboard, the hoof was free to grow down to meet the support at the back of the shoe.
At least, that is how I understood it – basically, he did this for a while with this horse, and for whatever reason – maybe it was correct trimming and shoeing, or the fact that he was steadily moving the column of support back to where it should be, from a horrid LT/LH set up – it worked. And this was on a horse that a vet shook his head and said the only way to fix the underrun heel was to “get a new horse.” :sigh:
I’ve got pictures somewhere on an old computer. I also think barefoot and time, and correct trimming can work wonders, but that wasn’t an option for me at the time we did this setup.
Best of luck with it!
My farrier (Journeyman with therapeutic endorsement and advanced credential with Association of the Worshipful Co of Farriers =, London, UK)
just puts leather pads on and goes to a five week rotation. The horse moves with much greater confidence and stride.
Those telling you to go barefoot must have been way more lucky than I can even fathom.
First off, is your horse sound? Do you have X-rays? If not, get them. Trust me, you will want to see what’s going on in that foot.
My guy was barefoot when I got him and due to a crappy farrier (who is supposedly a great one. ha.) we never addressed the problem in the first year that I owned him. By the time I REALLY noticed a problem (lameness) he was almost walking on his heel. He was only off on a circle on hard ground, but still off. Vet took one look at the foot and demanded X-rays. The laminae was COMPLETELY detached from the heel halfway to the front of the hoof and he was severely unbalanced. We (farrier, vet, myself) got a plan and started working on it. He popped a quarter crack about three weeks after the X-rays and none of us were shocked. This was early April, this year.
I am SUPER lucky and he grows foot like no other horse I’ve seen. The crack is almost grown out. We have had him in a bar shoe since day one for support, and we’ve also played with different pads. At the moment he’s sound and happy in a plain bar shoe, the hoof is perfectly balanced, and the laminae is starting to stand back up. If we hadn’t put him in a bar shoe I would have a crippled horse. I also don’t have access to a soft, cushy pasture…he lives in SoCal, land of the hot, dry land with no grass - so support was crucial.
I started him on this and this ASAP. I plan on keeping him on the Laminae Saver until his has reattached all the way around the hoof. Four Hoof is the best hoof supplement I’ve ever tried. I’ve tried Focus HF, Farrier’s Formula, Grand Hoof, and a couple other generic brands.
A five week schedule, six max, will make a world of difference. Right now Sky is actually on a four week schedule (checking account hates it) but once the crack has completely grown out we are going to go to five weeks. You might be surprised how much better of a mover your horse becomes when his break over point is shorter!
Definitely listen to your farrier. I have seen ottb feet go from narrow to nice and round with no shoes, excellent farrier work and time. Sometimes it takes a few years to really get the foot the horse was born with but you’ll find that that will solve a multitude of problems, including sore backs. Since you won’t want to put riding off for years just go shoeless during down time and then reshoe every 4 weeks during riding time. (MY advice, but as always, listen to your farrier and vet first.)
Edited to add that in the end the heel you get is the heel the horse has and tbs often have very low heels.
[QUOTE=Bensmom;7811419]
We used an unusual technique on one of my horses that my former farrier has had good luck with elsewhere as well.
It takes a bit of willingness to experiment and some time, but I was pleased. The shoe we started with was a basic St. Croix Eventer, and my farrier welded a bar to the bottom of the shoe, so that there was no wedge pressure between the hoof and the shoe itself – this horse was rather coon footed, and that helped his angles, without further crushing the heels.
Then, he trimmed away all of the underrun heel, put the shoe on with a gap of space between the now trimmed away heel, and the shoe. He would fold a piece of cardboard into that space, as sort of a placeholder, and then pour the foot with the soft pour in pad material.
With the space somewhat stabilized by the pour in pad + the folded cardboard, the hoof was free to grow down to meet the support at the back of the shoe.
At least, that is how I understood it – basically, he did this for a while with this horse, and for whatever reason – maybe it was correct trimming and shoeing, or the fact that he was steadily moving the column of support back to where it should be, from a horrid LT/LH set up – it worked. And this was on a horse that a vet shook his head and said the only way to fix the underrun heel was to “get a new horse.” :sigh:
I’ve got pictures somewhere on an old computer. I also think barefoot and time, and correct trimming can work wonders, but that wasn’t an option for me at the time we did this setup.
Best of luck with it![/QUOTE]
My farrier does almost the exact same thing with my TB. The only difference is he doesn’t use the cardboard, but I am going to suggest that tomorrow. So glad I read this post. Thanks!
Having done this for 30 plus years…Do Not pull,the front shoes…Don t waste the $$ on Farriers Formula…a diet high in Protien will do just as much for the feet…
Keep the toes pushed back , and X-ray will be a great guide of how much you can actually take off. Keep the feet from getting torn up and out of the wet as much as possible. Do try and keep,the horse in some work. The work helps promote blood flow which promotes growth. Do not use Toe Clips. A 3 degree wedge will help,support for a while,but over use can crush the heel…Frequent trims and patience…it takes a whole year.
I have had tremendous success in increasing sole depth and correct heel growth on my tbs by using some degree of rocker shoe. I wish I had a farrier that was willing to use them years ago - I would have saved the ton of money I spent on pour in pads and wedges.
My farrier is also a vet, so we took xrays to determine the correct angle and used the rocker trim and shoe. I have never had sounder horses.
http://www.nanric.com/when_to_use_the_rocker_shoe.html
There is a good deal more to it than just shortening the toes. Working with a good vet and farrier together can go a long way to helping the problem.
While of course keeping the toes back is not the only thing, it is one of the most important. As the toe gets stretched forward, so do the heels. The biggest contributor to underrun heels is allowing the toes to grow forward AND not trimming the heels back to the widest part of the frog.
I stated this over and over that the ratio of toe length in front of the widest part of the hoof should never be more than 50:50 (Duckett). Some further work has shown even less (1/3 in front, 2/3s behind the widest part of the hoof is optimal (Ovnicek).
For some unknown reason, many race trainers still believe a long toe is a good thing - more traction. This is the same reason many are still using toe grabs in the front. This couldn’t be further from the truth but that’s a debate for another thread.
By the time the rest of us wind up with the OTTBs, the damage to the horse’s hooves and internal structures is already done. And no, not all OTTBS have this problem but many do. It takes a long time and careful management (frequent, correct trimming) to bring the hooves back under the horse’s leg. It has been my experience there are very few farriers up to the task of correctly managing this. There are no permanent fixes.
Yeah, you can add wedges and bars to create a better alignment of the pedal bones radiographically but in most cases this just crushes the heels further. Most of these horses have plenty of heel if you look carefully at lateral photos taken from ground level. However, it;s obvious in the views that the heels are very run forward. The worst cases show the heel buttress lining up with middle of the frog!
So, my suggestions would be:
-
Barefoot if possible to allow for frequent trims to get the toes back. Heels also need to be trimmed with the goal of getting the buttress to the widest part of the frog eventually.
-
Same trim and goals as above but shod with a set back, wide webbed rocker toed shoe. Aluminum alloy prefered for horses with thin walls. Heel support via “pour-in pads” or really good frog pads. Personally, I like the Natural Balance pads with soft dental impression material packed in behind the frog.
However, if the trim is not correct or the shoes applied incorrectly (i.e., perimeter fit) or frog support lacking, there will be much less chance of success than going the barefoot route.
What do you experts say about wedge pads? My guy is in them now (started for a different reason). And is now so happy that I’m afraid to stop using them.
The 2 degree wedge doesn’t look like much but my farrier can get the correct angles that he wants now.
If the farrier offers no solution other than pulling the shoes, I would question his expertise.
[QUOTE=LaraNSpeedy;7811411]
I am not totally against shoeing - I just wish people who snark at barefooting would at LEAST recognize that shoeing compromises things. You have to own that.[/QUOTE]
I do not at all agree that shoeing “compromises” anything, unless of course the shoeing isn’t good (but the same goes for trimming). So why would I have to “own” that? The only thing I have to own is finding the person with the right skills to shoe my horse correctly and working with that person to ensure the feet stay healthy. I know it’s not always easy, depending on where you live.
My 3/4 TB suffers from low/underrun heels, so why didn’t his toe grow forward after nine weeks in one shoeing cycle? Because the shoer knew what he was doing, that’s why. See how the heel grew up and the toe didn’t shoot forward? These are Morrison rollers with pour-in pads:
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i213/hfournier/Tanager/hooves/TanagerDec1-Feb1-09.jpg
In this case the farrier was fixing a mess left behind by someone else. This was before the shoeing, after I pulled the shoes and trimmed the heels back myself. They were even worse than this, and he had heel abscesses in both feet:
http://s73.photobucket.com/user/hfournier/media/Tanager/hooves/Tanager-11-2008-LF5.jpg.html
http://s73.photobucket.com/user/hfournier/media/Tanager/hooves/Tanager-11-2008-RF1.jpg.html
Ditto on the x-rays – only Superman can see inside the hoof without them.
Low heel, long toe unfortunately is a race track thing. Though a lot of trainers are moving away from that “style” of race shoeing. It is not indicative that the horse has foot or soundness issues. I don’t allow it with our race horses. I don’t care if it is thought it gives them an “edge”. To me it edges them towards soundness issues.
Me, I always do what my farrier suggest. One less decision I have to make. That’s what I am paying him for. I would like to believe most farriers have far more expertise then caretakers, trainers, owners. If a person doesn’t have confidence in their farrier they should find one that that they do.
We only work with TBs and when horses come in off the track we pull shoes unless there is a reason not too. IME it takes about a year to get their feet the way we want them. They pretty much all start out being a bit foot sore at first but come around pretty quickly. Monitor and see how things go. Some may have to be kept with front shoes. Horse, environment, footing and what is being asked dictate things in the end. Have never found any hoof supplements to be worth the money. Have yet to find a farrier who disagrees. Unless they are being paid to endorse a product. But it won’t hurt the horse and if it makes the owner feel better that’s all that counts. They’re writing the check.
