Anyone willing to assess these hooves please?

[tallyho!]

If he is taking a shorter stride on one leg, would it be soft tissue injury? Muscle, tendon, rather than hoof? If a lameness is going on for a while it can alter how the hoof grows.

I would also check this out if you haven't checked he's eaten something he shouldn't have.

 

[Marigold4]

This is likely to be connected with your problems. I have no doubt that thin walled hooves run forwards more easily than thick ones, it's the root of the 'all tbs have crap feet' idea.

I don't know if we know already, but can you remind us what he's fed if you want to try to address the thin wall

He lives out at the moment, coming in during the day for 6 hours to get them off the grass. Just gets a little hi fi marksway blue haylage when in. Double handful of molasses free chaff daily just so I can feed him supplements. Grass analysis done and shows a little low in copper and sodium do I mix my own 1 copper to 3 zinc plus salt as per recommendations from forage analysis people.

 

[Marigold4]

I would also check this out if you haven't checked he's eaten something he shouldn't have.

Vet booked, Tom Beech osteopath coming at great expense later, physio tomoz

 

[paddy555]

don't forget you can never be sure it is not abscess.
My lad was lame in one front, I worked on the basis of an abscess. No success, vet couldn't find anything, farrier couldn't find anything. 2nd vet with X ray machine and farrier looked at the x rays, no abscess. They couldn't find anything else. Turned horse away and he was lame for another 6 weeks then he just came sound. Another month passed and the tell tale split appeared on the hoof wall.

 

[Marigold4]

Vet came this afternoon and x-rayed. Thinks its concussive sore feet from the hard ground - but I must stress that I am THE most paranoid person about working on hard ground, so how that happened I do not know. Yes, toes are long but also side to side angle not quite right. Soles are strangely convex - definitely not thin though. Pedal bone in the right place but signs of a little ragged wear in two places, one on each foot.

He has given me a list of instructions for trimmer and I am sending x-rays to him. Doesn't think I should find someone else as he's been impressed with his other work. He says thin walls and TB feet will often tend to grow toe long and you've just got to keep on top of it. They will never be as short and upright as a cob foot.

Broadly speaking he thinks it's more of a hiccup than a big issue. Thinks we caught it early and with better trim will improve. Horse is on bute and turn-out boots and strict instructions to lose some weight to help relieve the loading of his feet.

Phew, I think?

 

[ester]

The convexness might be retained wall (if she has been reacting to the hard ground) in which case it will slough off at some point.

 

[Tiddlypom]

That sounds good.

Now the ball is firmly in the trimmer’s court re acting on the vet’s directions - will he agree to them and will he be able to implement them.

 

[Marigold4]

Aha that would make sense if the convex sole was caused by that. Vet wasn't sure what it was.

 

[Marigold4]

That sounds good.

Now the ball is firmly in the trimmer’s court re acting on the vet’s directions - will he agree to them and will he be able to implement them.

He says he's very happy to use the x-rays and vet advice to trim, so fingers crossed!

 

[ester]

fingers crossed

 

[Marigold4]

Thanks SO much everyone for all the help and useful advice. Amazing! This forum has some great people on it and I have learnt so much about feet in a short space of time.

It was interesting that even the vet thought his feet looked OK till he saw the ground level photos so thanks to Ester for suggesting that. Xrays backed up photos.

 

[tallyho!]

It may help if you trim in between visits? I do with mine, I end up trimming one mares toes every few weeks (yes they really do grow that fast) and she always grows one side faster than the other which is nothing to do with trimmer. So, I make sure they are kept in check. The other two don't need any such intervention. Just the one dodgy mare .

 

[Marigold4]

It may help if you trim in between visits? I do with mine, I end up trimming one mares toes every few weeks (yes they really do grow that fast) and she always grows one side faster than the other which is nothing to do with trimmer. So, I make sure they are kept in check. The other two don't need any such intervention. Just the one dodgy mare .

I'm going to ask the trimmer to come every 4 weeks for while tomkeep on top of this. Then perhsps he could show me how to do his toes myself? Good idea.

 

[Tiddlypom]

My two Tb types need their feet trimmed every 4 weeks in the summer. 6 weeks is ok in the winter. The IDx could almost last til every other visit in summer, but I get her done as well while he’s here.

 

[ester]

Frank was done every 2-3 weeks in work which is kind of why I ended up doing them myself. Doing diddly squat he goes 6 weeks easily. The worst bit was the inbetween time, where they were still growing at the work rate but he was on field rest.

 

[tristar]

sometimes i trim every week, meaning the overall shape is better all the time, rather than good for a few weeks then out of shape till trimmed, more near the ideal shape, i learned this when one had a crack in wall, the farrier did not get rid, so out of frustration i trimmed myself and it went in three months, could not believe it at the time

 

[PapaverFollis]

We've been trimming The Beast twice a week! ? Growth has slowed a bit and their hardstanding is doing some of the wear too so looks like once a week will keep on top of it. Might even extend to fortnightly eventually.

 

[Tarragon]

I trim my ponies feet. I get a professional in 2 or 3 times a year to make sure that i am keeping the balance right, and just trim as often as they need. I sort of look at them after every ride, and if they have started to square off at the toes, I rasp down the "corners" until it is rounded again. I get hand me down rasps from the professional when they get too blunt for them to use, but are fine for me. I also have a rider's rasp which I might use to get the roll.
I am going to get myself a pony hoof stand soon to make it easier. I don't know how farriers and trimmers do it - I am puffed just after doing one pair of hooves!

 

[paddy555]

I'm going to ask the trimmer to come every 4 weeks for while tomkeep on top of this. Then perhsps he could show me how to do his toes myself? Good idea.

I would get the trimmer every 4 weeks but then get a S/H rasp from him (tell him in advance so he can bring you one) and trim the edge yourself weekly (don't forget to get some gloves)

I trim my own and I would trim your fronts weekly if they were mine.

ETA, I meant you should trim now not in the future.

 

[paddy555]

I trim my ponies feet. I get a professional in 2 or 3 times a year to make sure that i am keeping the balance right, and just trim as often as they need. I sort of look at them after every ride, and if they have started to square off at the toes, I rasp down the "corners" until it is rounded again. I get hand me down rasps from the professional when they get too blunt for them to use, but are fine for me. I also have a rider's rasp which I might use to get the roll.
I am going to get myself a pony hoof stand soon to make it easier. I don't know how farriers and trimmers do it - I am puffed just after doing one pair of hooves!

have you considered a mechanic's stool? I use that for our ponies, makes life much easier on my back.

 

[Regandal]

I echo Paddy re wearing gloves. You have no idea how much skin a rasp can take off the back of your hand! Ouch.

 

[Marigold4]

My two Tb types need their feet trimmed every 4 weeks in the summer. 6 weeks is ok in the winter. The IDx could almost last til every other visit in summer, but I get her done as well while he’s here.

Thinking back on it. i think the whole thing started in lockdown. Intervals between trims were increased for 3 months or so, so maybe the long toe situation just got away from us then.

 

[Marigold4]

Frank was done every 2-3 weeks in work which is kind of why I ended up doing them myself. Doing diddly squat he goes 6 weeks easily. The worst bit was the inbetween time, where they were still growing at the work rate but he was on field rest.

That's really interesting about how often some horses need doing. I guess I'll have to learn how to do a bit of trimmimg myself!

 

[Marigold4]

sometimes i trim every week, meaning the overall shape is better all the time, rather than good for a few weeks then out of shape till trimmed, more near the ideal shape, i learned this when one had a crack in wall, the farrier did not get rid, so out of frustration i trimmed myself and it went in three months, could not believe it at the time

That makes so much sense to keep on top of it weekly.

 

[Marigold4]

I trim my ponies feet. I get a professional in 2 or 3 times a year to make sure that i am keeping the balance right, and just trim as often as they need. I sort of look at them after every ride, and if they have started to square off at the toes, I rasp down the "corners" until it is rounded again. I get hand me down rasps from the professional when they get too blunt for them to use, but are fine for me. I also have a rider's rasp which I might use to get the roll.
I am going to get myself a pony hoof stand soon to make it easier. I don't know how farriers and trimmers do it - I am puffed just after doing one pair of hooves!

My trimmer did give me a rasp, but I've been too terrified to use it! I'm not sure my back is up to it either. Maybe I could get my OH to learn!

 

[Marigold4]

I would get the trimmer every 4 weeks but then get a S/H rasp from him (tell him in advance so he can bring you one) and trim the edge yourself weekly (don't forget to get some gloves)

I trim my own and I would trim your fronts weekly if they were mine.

ETA, I meant you should trim now not in the future.

Trimmer coming this afternoon!

 

[Tiddlypom]

How did it go with the trimmer yesterday, OP ?

 

[Gloi]

Thinking back on it. i think the whole thing started in lockdown. Intervals between trims were increased for 3 months or so, so maybe the long toe situation just got away from us then.

Mine got away from me during lockdown but with mine the heels shoot up.

 

[Red-1]

I echo Paddy re wearing gloves. You have no idea how much skin a rasp can take off the back of your hand! Ouch.

Or wrist. One time, I was meeting Mr Red's new colleagues for the first time at a 'do'. I rasped hooves in the morning and somehow rasped right across my wrist, needed it bandaging and looked a right sight! I also had some missing from the back of a thumb. I was only taking such a little bot off, I decided to go without gloves

Never again!

 

[Tiddlypom]

What type of gloves do folk recommend for trimming?

And thanks for the tip, I’d have cracked on without any .