Anyone have experience of Hoof Wall Separation in Connemaras?

How bad is it and how far has it travelled round the hoof/hooves?

If minor then clean out the cavities thoroughly with diluted Milton and then pack with something like ArtiMud or Hoof Paste from Red Horse products (they also do a disinfectant but I found Milton worked just as well).

I dig out the cavity/cavities until down to good material, scrub really well, dry off then pack with the Artimud and then cotton wool pushed in on top. Once a week I pull it all out and start again until all the nasties are clearly gone then just leave it well alone (packed) to grow back down.

I've had the devil of a problem with one of my ponies (not Connemara) been suffering for a couple of years now, diet is spot on but exercise on different surfaces hasn't been happening so abnormal hoof growth coupled with me missing some grit working it's way into the hoof wall has meant a long battle to get good hoof growth coming down.
 
Sorry meant to add you really need to be on top of decent regular trimming and if shod then it will take longer to sort unfortunately as the shoes can trap the nasty bugs underneath, mine are all barefoot so easier to deal with
 
From my reading, the recommendation for HWSS, unlike most other hoof advice, is to keep the pony in as wet an environment as possible. I have no personal experience, sorry.
 
Its a trimming issue the mechanics of the hoof aren't working correctly and the forces are acting against it creating speration. Once you addrees the trim you will resolve and while it grows down in the mean time Tea Tree Oil is good esp if you can pack it in with cotton wool
 
That would depend on why the separation has occurred to be honest, it isn't linked to dry environments contrary to popular belief, dry hooves are strong hooves, permanently wet hooves can be weakened dramatically hence why so many hoof problems surface over winter months when horses feet are wetter for so much longer.

You'd really need to know why the separation has occurred OP, toes too long meaning too much stress on the internal structures leading to chipping and small holes, grit working its way up the white line etc etc.
 
maccachic said:
Its a trimming issue the mechanics of the hoof aren't working correctly and the forces are acting against it creating speration. Once you addrees the trim you will resolve and while it grows down in the mean time Tea Tree Oil is good esp if you can pack it in with cotton wool
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It is NOT a trimming issue. It is an identified genetic and inherited defect in connemara ponies!!!
 
Have you had HWSS diagnosed with a blood test? there is a good facebook group, should come up in a search.
Its horrendously difficult to deal with sadly, though some horses seem to only suffer mildly.
My boy was dreadful, if you search my posts on here you will see pictures and me asking for info before anyone had really heard of this condition.
The only thing that worked for us was keeping the foot as short as possible and keeping shoes on. I managed a few years of him being intermittently sound this way. He was crippled barefoot as basically walking on his sole.
AVOID glue on shoes, this was the beginning of the end for us. Have subsequently seen research that suggests that the glue reacts adversely with the laminae.
good luck x
 
It's not severe and as far as I understand it it's not caused by bacteria, it's a genetic thing. Currently unshod and they're not too bad at all ATM but bringing him back into work and fairly sure he will need shoeing at some point as they end up walking on their soles due to the crumbling walls. He has struggled to keep shoes on in the past but they were ok when he came back from loan.

He has been on loan at Hartpury and has therefore spent most of his time inside which I think helped this condition 'cause I've read that the wet does not help it but he has come home from Hartpury due to ulcers and a bout of colic so obviously this lifestyle has not suited the rest of him! He needs to go be out as much as possible to keep his guts healthy but I'm worried it won't help his feet.
 
ycbm said:
It is NOT a trimming issue. It is an identified genetic defect in connemara ponies!
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Absolutely
nothing to do with diet or trimming or conditions. Genetic defect where the "glue" to hold the wall to the laminae is defective. These feet will fall apart, whatever you do
 
Cheers.

Yes, I have seen that but doesn't tell you what you can do to help. He is obviously mildly affected, he is 15 so has got by - I was quite surprised to find that some are so bad they have to be PTS.
 
Fascinating, I've never ever heard of this problem from a genetic point of view. Not much fun for the owners of affected ponies though. I wonder how many are carriers but seemingly unaffected, and therefore should not be bred from. Someone I knew bought a lovely WB from local very well respected breeder and told me that the lady had had a second case of twisted front leg in that year's foaling so she didn't use that stallion any more.
 
Boysy said:
That would depend on why the separation has occurred to be honest, it isn't linked to dry environments contrary to popular belief, dry hooves are strong hooves, permanently wet hooves can be weakened dramatically hence why so many hoof problems surface over winter months when horses feet are wetter for so much longer.

You'd really need to know why the separation has occurred OP, toes too long meaning too much stress on the internal structures leading to chipping and small holes, grit working its way up the white line etc etc.
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maccachic said:
Its a trimming issue the mechanics of the hoof aren't working correctly and the forces are acting against it creating speration. Once you addrees the trim you will resolve and while it grows down in the mean time Tea Tree Oil is good esp if you can pack it in with cotton wool
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We know why the separation has occurred, it is genetic, nothing to do with the environment/trimming or infection people! (Although I imagine the latter can occur secondarily.

Marmalade it is good that your boy had done ok with it. It was my knowledge that there was absolutely nothing you could do and I thought that most were PTS but perhaps that was because they were the only ones that were identified as having it. I suspect that may also be why there is limited info on what might actually help.
 
Indeed. I am worried about secondary infection and was wondering which would be the best topical treatment to help keep this at bay. I would imagine some things would help whilst others may hinder.
 
Fwiw I do like the red horse products, I have some of their sole cleanse and their hoof stuff that I use occasionally. personally I have found the sole cleanse better than milton.

Is it possible to shoe him with lighter shoes if/when you need to? light steel, we have horses on the yard with aluminiums, or plastic? Just to reduce the strain on the hoof wall.
 
marmalade76 said:
Indeed. I am worried about secondary infection and was wondering which would be the best topical treatment to help keep this at bay. I would imagine some things would help whilst others may hinder.
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I would imagine the best place to get ideas was on the FB HWSS group. If you put HWSS in the FB search it comes up. Lots of info and you will get ideas as to what others have found works or doesn't.

Some very good pics on that group for anyone wanting to see exactly what it does to feet.
 
marmalade76 said:
Cheers.

Yes, I have seen that but doesn't tell you what you can do to help. He is obviously mildly affected, he is 15 so has got by - I was quite surprised to find that some are so bad they have to be PTS.
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Sadly I know of one that this happened to recently. The owner tried it all but nothing worked, otherwise the little mare was perfect and very young too. A heartbreaking situation and one that has put the owner off ever buying a pure bred Connie ever again.
 
The Connemara Pony Research Group (CPRG) now has a Youtube channel with 3 videos on it https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbdY3DKOU3I-Qbs5l_E8ong?view_as=public One of these is by farrier, Ray Knightley, who has worked successfully with multiple HWSD affected ponies and undertaken some research on different hoof care options. Other farriers who may be worth contacting for advice would be Tom Ryan and Simon Curtis.

There is no logical reason to not buying a Connemara pony just because of the HWSD issue. The ponies which carry one copy of the gene are completely normal. The advice from the CPRG when buying breeding stock is to have the pony screened for HWSD - at a cost of US$40 it makes economic and common sense to do so. Get the vet to pull the hair when the vet check is being performed, then you know the result will be kosher ESPECIALLY when buying sight unseen and/or through a dealer of ponies bred in Ireland.

If you are interested in more information about HWSD in general and not just the specifics of hoof care for affected ponies and horses (be aware that part-bred ponies with a Connemara base are also involved), then go to the CPRG blog site http://connemara-pony.blogspot.com The latest post is about the latest HWSD testing statistics. If you read the post through you will understand why anything bought from Ireland should be tested before passing across any money.

There is also a tested ponies results page on this site - some of the bloodline patterns are beginning to show up in these results - of course the majority of people with affected and/or carrier ponies are not making this information available to the public.
 
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Many thanks for all the suggestions and links.

Must say the Facebook group was an eye opener and explains why you say testing is so important when buying from certain places, Connemaranz! Some heads in the sand, methinks..
 
marmalade76 said:
Many thanks for all the suggestions and links.

Must say the Facebook group was an eye opener and explains why you say testing is so important when buying from certain places, Connemaranz! Some heads in the sand, methinks..
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So sad when that happens - always by people who supposedly "love the breed".
 
marmalade76 said:
Many thanks for all the suggestions and links.

Must say the Facebook group was an eye opener and explains why you say testing is so important when buying from certain places, Connemaranz! Some heads in the sand, methinks..
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I read a lot of the FB page. Not great bedtime reading. I never realised they should be hair tested as part of the vet's purchase exam. I don't think I would go anywhere near even a cross now without personally taking a hair sample and getting a test result.
thanks Connemarannz for the info in your post.
 
It's not something I've ever heard of and the owners and carers of this particular pony just thought he had rubbish feet. Would put me off buying too, my old boy is supposed to be a connie (but he has no papers and does have good feet!) and I had wanted another but the price of them meant that I was unable to have one (nice youngsters tend to be around £4k which is more than my budget). Just as well really, better off with my freebie TB who has pretty good feet! They say you learn something new everyday..
 
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