Super sensitive for shoeing, but always sound

[lberreth]

Hi all! I wanted to just put this out there in case anyone has had a similar issue and because I’m at a bit of a loss.

I have an 8yo OTTB gelding who I’ve had for three years. His feet were always decent, and he was good with the farrier I had. Due to family issues, the farrier I had needed to drop some of his newer clients, so I found another guy who did hot shoeing. My horse seemed fine with it for about 6 months until a year ago, when, during one session, he acted like he was being burned, especially on his front feet. Maybe the farrier held the shoe on for too long…I don’t know and have speculated about it endlessly.

The horse walked off lame and it took three months of abscesses, shoeing changes, lost shoes and finally glue-ons last summer from a vet who works with my local equine clinic (I wanted a second opinion) to get him sound.

I decided to find another farrier who could work with us and not do hot shoeing, and it’s been working out great since late last summer. He’s professional, patient and does a good job. My horse’s feet kind of fell apart due to the summer ground and the glue-ons, but he seems to be in a very good place now.

My issue is that he’s been quite fidgety with my current farrier. From the start, he’s asked me to sedate him, so I’ve been using Ace, which doesn’t really make him that sleepy. I also distract him with treats and let him work on a Likit ball, which usually keeps his interest for about half the visit.

He’s a horse who wants to please under saddle. I don’t believe he has a mean bone in his body. If I ever tried to use a crop on him under saddle, which I haven’t, I’m sure he’d be scared and quite upset. On the ground, he’s got decent ground manners, and if I need to correct him, he’s very much a, “Yes, ma’am” kind of horse. He’s a cuddler and loves people, but as a typical OTTB, he can have some anxiety. It rarely shows up under saddle though. He’s also very sensitive as far as flies, clipping, grooming, etc…not unusual for an OTTB of course.

When the farrier is driving the nails and sometimes when he clinches them, he’ll jerk his foot away. I thought he was getting better, but this week, it was quite annoying when he was working on his front feet to the point where I could see my farrier becoming frustrated. He actually popped up a bit this time and pulled away. He always walks off sound and is sound under saddle after being shod, but I think he’s just so sensitive that the act of driving the nails and clinching them is somehow uncomfortable for him. My trainer threw out the idea that maybe he has some residual anxiety from his feet being burned

I’m going to try dorm gel next, which I had tried once last summer and didn’t think had much effect. I am not able to afford to have the vet come out to sedate him every 4-5 weeks.

Does anyone out there have a sensitive flower like this? I’m not sure if I’m looking for advice or just wondering if I’m imagining things. As a chronic over thinker, this has been causing me so much anxiety this week. I don’t want to discipline him because I don’t believe he’s trying to be bad; I think he’s uncomfortable, but I also don’t want to loose my farrier because of his behavior.

[OzarksRider]

Is there any reason your horse couldn’t go barefoot and wear hoof boots when you ride him? I know some horses absolutely must wear shoes, but if your guy could go barefoot that could solve the problem. Of course, he would still need to be trimmed regularly.

[Amy3996]

Have you had hoof rads done? I assume so since you worked with a clinic, but figured it was worth asking. If not, that might be something to check to see if there’s something underlying that might make the shoeing process uncomfortable.

[lberreth]

He’s an eventer and needs studs. I had hoof rads done at his pre-purchase and last summer while trying to find the abscesses. He has thin soles for sure.

[applelover]

Was he always fine for shoeing before this incident? If so, I would assume he is expecting pain, even if it only ever happened the one time - I think about how every time I go to the dentist, I am still anxious, even though I only had like one bad experience in nearly 40 years of regular visits! If that is the case, I would see if your farrier is willing to work with him very slowly, using good drugs if needed, and gradually working up to the full set. My horse is/was also anxious for the farrier (not sure if he ever had good/regular farrier work before) and my vet recommended trying something like doing one foot, and then giving him a break while he trims my retired horse, etc.

[LazyA1]

Had one like this. Thin soles. Hated the nailing part. Jerked foot from farrier. He was also narrow and having a farrier pull his leg away from his shoulder was hard for him. My farrier could shoe him but had to get way under him and it was difficult for all. He’s retired now, but if I were to ride him again, I’d leave him barefoot behind and try glue-ons in front.

[anonevent]

If he tolerated the glue on process, could you continue with those? They’ve been so great for my horse.

[Pico_Banana]

I have a senior horse with a lot of arthritis and it’s difficult for her to hold her feet up for the farrier, especially her hinds. She’s a very good girl and wants to cooperate, but gets very anxious about the trimming process because she is anticipating pain - and rightfully so.

Note she is retired so barefoot, but perhaps my protocol will help your guy with the shoeing.

I start my protocol the night before and give her a dose of Tylenol (you could use Bute or Banamine - I like Tylenol because it’s easier on her stomach and seems effective). My farrier always comes in the morning, so I give her another dose of Tylenol with her breakfast. Then I give her 2.5 ml of Ace about 30 min before the farrier comes.

I find the combo of pain management and anxiety management to help. My farrier is also very patient with her.

So I’d suggest adding in something to address discomfort for him, in addition to the Ace. The Dorm will definitely sedate him more than Ace, so that’s good option, too. I prefer Ace because then she can continue to eat hay while she’s waiting for her turn and it’s working well enough for us.

If you do try Dorm, I’d suggest using the injectable version rather than the gel. The gel can be a bit tricky to get under the tongue, whereas an IM shot is very straightforward.

[lberreth]

Unfortunately the glue-ons really messed up his hoof walls, plus he got them off pretty regularly. He was also kind of fussy when the farrier put those on. He lives on the side of a hill, so that’s not helpful, but it’s the best turnout situation option at the farm he’s at/

[lberreth]

Good idea on the dorm injectable. My vet had only suggested the gel, so I can ask about it. 2-3 ccs of Ace is not really working anymore. I tried dorm gel once and followed the instructions under the tongue and the with the appropriate amount of time, but it seemed to have no effect. I did try bute once the night before, but didn’t notice a huge difference. Maybe I’ll try that again.

[anonevent]

Is he bothered when you pick his feet?

[Posting_Trot]

Do you have a hoof stand like the farrier’s that you can use to practice? I found that I could practice putting and keeping my horse’s hooves on the stand and then use some clicker training to cement the idea of what kind of behavior I was looking for. Clicker training may also break through some of the anxiety the horse might have about the shoeing process.

It wasn’t a miraculous “fix” but it did make the process of trimming (my horse isn’t shod) much easier for both the horse and the trimmer.

If the horse is totally fine with having the hoof up on the stand for several minutes at a time, but only begins to fray when the shoes are being tacked on, then you might try to figure out a way to break that process down into separate behaviors that you can help the horse with.

Good luck.

[lberreth]

Not at all. And he’s good with putting studs in too.

[lberreth]

I’ve definitely thought about getting a hoof stand, but was wondering how I would simulate the pounding of the nails.

[endlessclimb]

With a hammer. Don’t go full ham, obviously, just start gentle and get to approximately the level the farrier uses.

[beowulf]

@lberreth

the horse walked off lame and it took three months of abscesses, shoeing changes, lost shoes and finally glue-ons last summer from a vet who works with my local equine clinic (I wanted a second opinion) to get him sound.

This sounds like more than just being burned from the shoe being left on too long - this sounds like he got some hot nails from driving the nail in and lots of subsequent physical pain that may still be bothering him. It sounds like his feet are a mess despite your best efforts.

If he’s still acting this way, he’s probably still in pain. Can your farrier try nailing lower down on the hoof wall, smaller nails, etc? I’d consider up to date x-rays to see what’s going on - it may be the sole is so thin that the farrier has very little space to drive a nail. This is not uncommon when transitioning a TB from track style trimming to sport horse trimming.

Does he have to have studs (or shoes)? Asking as a fellow eventer; I’ve competed thru Training barefoot. Most horses don’t need studs at the LLs, riders are just so quick to put them on. If he could feasibly go without the shoes, it may be better for him, and help you get him back on track for healthier, stronger hooves.

Re: ace and dorm, horses don’t tend to resolve behavioral issues (aka learn new better behaviors) when these things are used, my two cents. It’d be better to address the why he is doing this, and then try to work him through it while addressing the root of pain. He’s not going to learn to be better if it hurts every time he’s asked to do it, sedation or no.

[LCDR]

My farrier uses IV sedation for my mare. For over 20 years we (trainers, vets, farrier, and me) have tried many other approaches without any noticeable changes in her tolerating shoeing of her rear hooves. Vets are comfortable with my farrier doing this and they supply the medication for this approach.

I am not saying that just anyone’s farriers should be administering IV meds.

[Pico_Banana]

@lberreth

I tried dorm gel once and followed the instructions under the tongue and the with the appropriate amount of time, but it seemed to have no effect.

Yeah, I’ve had this happen, too, which is why I switched to the injectable. No problems since then.

[Bonnie2]

I had a horse that flinched every strike of the hammer on the nail. He was a soldier and didn’t take the hoof away but it didn’t make a good experience for horse or farrier. He was a horse with multiple hoof issues much improved by shoes. We gave bute and ace (all there was at the time). Different farriers and different shoes use different size nails. Suggesting things to farriers is seldom successful, but slimmer nails might be an avenue to investigate. Jerking the foot away is also very dangerous for the farrier. I knew one who got a 6" slice on the inside of his thigh from an unclinched nail. IM or IV medication will help keep everyone safe. Ask your vet if they carry Romifidine aka Sedivet. It needs to be compounded now but is the single best thing for shoeing. Settles the horse without making him wobbly. Good luck!

[StormyDay]

The nails causing issues would immediately alert me to get a really good soundness workup done on those front feet. That can be a sign of navicular and coffin bone pain. Because it’s unilateral it can be hard to see when it’s mild.