Anyone willing to assess these hooves please?

Tiddlypom

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Thanks for posting the pics. They do seem to be going the right way now, it‘s not as drastic a change as I was fearing. It’s much better doing the changes over a period of time rather than all at once.

Did the trimmer have any explanation as to why he had allowed the toes to go so long in the first place?
 

ihatework

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The trim looks good as part of a short term strategy to get on top of it. Sufficient to see a difference but not extreme.

Id be disappointed with a sore horse after that trim, not necessarily any fault of trimmer, but just wonder what is going on that the horse is feeling it
 

PapaverFollis

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I'm looking at the pictures and wondering why the horse was sore? Was he actually sore of did the trimmer just think he might be. There has been a significant angle change if you put the pictures side by side.

20201001_161359.jpg

But the pictures of the sole look fine. Did the trimmer take sole off?
 

Gloi

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I'm looking at the pictures and wondering why the horse was sore? Was he actually sore of did the trimmer just think he might be. There has been a significant angle change if you put the pictures side by side.

View attachment 56149

But the pictures of the sole look fine. Did the trimmer take sole off?
My pony grows hooves like the one on the left if not trimmed. The heels are then too high for him and too much weight goes to the front of the hoof and he goes footsore with roadwork. I have to keep them a bit lower in the heels and he is much better. So long as the heels aren't the sort that run forward he is best with them trimmer short.
 

stormox

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You can. I haven't touched frog or sole on my 5 year old since I bought him at 2.

Frogs and soles shed if they arent trimmed so its perfectly ok not to trim them, but it doesnt mean they continue growing like a donkeys if you dont trim. Its usually better to trim them though and keep them growing how you want.
 

ycbm

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Frogs and soles shed if they arent trimmed so its perfectly ok not to trim them, but it doesnt mean they continue growing like a donkeys if you dont trim. Its usually better to trim them though and keep them growing how you want.


I disagree with you, sorry. I don't think it is right ever to trim sole on most horses. And I don't understand why you (one) would want to try and 'keep a frog growing how you want' when they are perfectly able to grow a functional frog for themselves without any help.

The only thing I would ever do to a sole is remove old dead stuff which is cracking out, where the ground and weather conditions have stopped that happening. (This happened to a lot of horses in 2018). And frogs to take off a flap which is obviously harbouring thrush, though I would usually just flush that with peroxide.
.
 

IrishMilo

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The only thing I would ever do to a sole is remove old dead stuff which is cracking out, where the ground and weather conditions have stopped that happening. (This happened to a lot of horses in 2018). And frogs to take off a flap which is obviously harbouring thrush, though I would usually just flush that with peroxide.
.

I wouldn’t remove anything other than shedding flaps or dead sole, there’s no reason to. But I disagree with the overly simplistic view of “Just never take anything off”. Sometimes for the health of the frog you have to. The sole less so.
 

Marigold4

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Thanks for posting the pics. They do seem to be going the right way now, it‘s not as drastic a change as I was fearing. It’s much better doing the changes over a period of time rather than all at once.

Did the trimmer have any explanation as to why he had allowed the toes to go so long in the first place?
Thanks for your input. Glad you think they are OK. No, not really an explanation but I think he took his eye off the ball during lockdown and the longer intervals between trims didn't work for this particular horse. A difficult time for all.
 

Marigold4

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I'm looking at the pictures and wondering why the horse was sore? Was he actually sore of did the trimmer just think he might be. There has been a significant angle change if you put the pictures side by side.

View attachment 56149

But the pictures of the sole look fine. Did the trimmer take sole off?
Thanks so much for putting them side by side. That shows the difference in pastern angle really clearly. Really useful. I think he took quite a bit of sole off at the toe and I guess that might make him sore? The x-rays showed inflammation in both fronts. He was sore before the trim. I'll trot him up in a few days to see how he's doing. Hopefully a combo of bute, rest and softer ground will give him back his mojo.
 

Marigold4

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The trim looks good as part of a short term strategy to get on top of it. Sufficient to see a difference but not extreme.

Id be disappointed with a sore horse after that trim, not necessarily any fault of trimmer, but just wonder what is going on that the horse is feeling it
Horse was sore before trim. X-rays showed inflammation in both fronts, concussive not grass related. Horse is on bute, field rest and ground getting softer by the day so hoping to see a sound horse soon.
 

Tiddlypom

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I can’t get the quote function to work properly for this, OP, but I’m intrigued by what your trimmer means by a ‘high toe’. Did he explain what he meant by this?

‘It went well, thanks. Trimmer had had a good look at the xrays and his analysis of the balance was that not only was the toe long, but it was also high, resulting in the heels looking lower as he is tipped back.‘
 

Marigold4

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I can’t get the quote function to work properly for this, OP, but I’m intrigued by what your trimmer means by a ‘high toe’. Did he explain what he meant by this?

‘It went well, thanks. Trimmer had had a good look at the xrays and his analysis of the balance was that not only was the toe long, but it was also high, resulting in the heels looking lower as he is tipped back.‘
I think he means that he had a lot of sole uner the toe area? But I will check next time I see him.
 
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Marigold4

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So little horse has been on bute for 5 days, new trim looks better, ground softer but still not right on left fore in trot. Sigh. Doesn't reach forward with that leg on left rein. Tom Beech hopefully coming at the end of this month.
 

Tiddlypom

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I think he means that he had a lot of sole uner the toe area? But I will check next time I see him.
Thanks.

I’m confused about the trimmer taking quite a lot of sole off, as I thought that scraping off the sole is considered to be a bad thing, allegedly much done by farriers but not by trimmers, who know better?
I think he took quite a bit of sole off at the toe and I guess that might make him sore?
I’m sorry that he’s still sore even on the bute.
 

ester

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The only thing I would ever do to a sole is remove old dead stuff which is cracking out, where the ground and weather conditions have stopped that happening. (This happened to a lot of horses in 2018). And frogs to take off a flap which is obviously harbouring thrush, though I would usually just flush that with peroxide.
.

Yup we were one of those 2018ers, both sole and frog shed at the same time that year. Sole stayed on until it came off with a hoof pick.

I did used to trim hind frogs slightly, because otherwise his central sulcus would get super tight and more prone to being thrushy so they were better if just took a small amount off to open it slightly.

If he has taken off much toe callus that would explain the soreness.
 

Marigold4

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Yup we were one of those 2018ers, both sole and frog shed at the same time that year. Sole stayed on until it came off with a hoof pick.

I did used to trim hind frogs slightly, because otherwise his central sulcus would get super tight and more prone to being thrushy so they were better if just took a small amount off to open it slightly.

If he has taken off much toe callus that would explain the soreness.
My understanding is that he took sole from the toe away because foot was tipped back. Certainly the balance front to back looks better.

The generalised soreness has gone - it lasted two days, just as trimmer said it would - but the left front lameness remains. So, yes, foot balance did need attention and should never have got like that, but not the cause of the problem.

I guess it won't hurt to turn him away for the winter while we find the problem. Lots of people would do that with a four-year-old anyway. Just a bit gutted to have sold other horse and now have nothing to ride. I have just bought some fancy brushes so will spend the winter turning them into gleaming beasts!
 
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