Collapsed heels/lameness/barefoot/remedial?

[hoofsculpture]

hi there, i was just reading you,r post on collapsed heels etc, it sounds as though you cant get good advice. well i work on horses like that all the time, there is no shoe which can help the problem, the reason is that the heel collapsed because if the shoe, and will continue to do so.
so to cure the problem, you must remove all shoes, and do a remedial trim, this will mean removing all underrun heels damaged quarters and everything else that is crumbled and rotten.
at this point the horses feet will start to grow healthy horn,except he will be tenderfoot and uncomfortable to walk, to make him comfortable to walk, he will have to have his heels replaced with special material, that will keep him happy yntill he grows new healthy feet, it is quite simple, i you need any advice you can p m me

 

[the watcher]

hoofsculpture.
To say that all shoes are the sole cause of collapsed heels and that barefoot trimming is the ONLY cure is the kind of nonsense that gives people of your ilk a bad name.

There is a place for barefoot horses and even strangely and exotically trained trimmers if that is your bag. There is also a place for fully qualified farriers, often on referral from vets who work to Xrays and have trained for years in remedial work. Surprisingly perhaps, often those farriers are successful in restoring good feet.

 

[mrdarcy]

Remedial farriery only exists because of what shoes do to horses feet. What else do you think caused collapsed heels? The farrier in this case is a poor example of his profession and is one of the ones that gives farriers a bad name - saying that barefoot benefits very few horses is factually wrong and most farriers would disagree with him. More and more farriers I speak to are realising how beneficial barefoot is and one or two recently are telling me that they now see more barefoot than shod horses.

For the horse in this thread until diet is sorted out the feet will never improve. It does sound like she needs to come completely off grass. I'd do blood tests and hair tests to see what minerals she's short of - get her system back to a level playing field and start from there. But until her insides are sorted her feet will never be healthy - whether the shoes stay off or are put back on.

 

[hoofsculpture]

WATCHER , i knew when i posted my advice that there would be sombody like you, ready to disagree with me, and have no advice to offer.
read my post again, slowly. i did not mention barefoot trimming, barefoot trimming is where a sound horse is trimmed to work barefoot.
this case is where the heels have been left too long to carry the weight required, so they fold over under the pressure of the shoe.
the folded over heel can never correct it,s self untill the heel is trimmed down so that the horse is not walking on his folded over hoof wall, this is nothing to do with barefoot anything. all collapsed folded over hoof wall must be removed, this will cause the new growth to not be folded over, it will grow more healthy ,and must be kept short and flat untill completly strong and healthy.
now this will render the horse foot sore, from having no heels, stretched d d f t, frog pressure etc,
so barefoot is not an option, his feet must be reformed to a correct heel hight,using a product such as vettec superfast, i work at this every day. so try to say nothing, untill you have something helpfull to say.

 

[little_flea]

Thanks everyone for your comments. Both farriers involved are according to vets and equine hospitals the best in the county and highly specialised in remedial farriery - I will just have to trust them along with the vet. First farrier is happy to take advise from second farrier and everyone knows of the involvement of the others.

Second remedial farrier coming out day after tomorrow and if he says bacterial infection/get x-rays/vet out/get other nutritionalists advice - then that is what I will do, of course.

I will keep you posted. In the meantime, Maggie is bored as hell due to no work, jealous of the other horses me and my sis (her owners) are riding, she is making as much noise as she possibly can by throwing buckets/leadropes etc etc around... She is qualified for BD Regionals in two classes and lots of other things this summer and is extremely fit - now I only hope she'll be able to return to normal work at some point, sod the competitions ;-( We will do whatever we can to make her well again, no matter what, absolutely adore this horse.

 

[asommerville]

Keep us updated on your baby!! I totally feel your pain,my horse has been lame for 2 months now and despite numerous visits from the vet and farrier we are no further forward I feel like i am gettin nowhere!! keep your chin up - i know how hard it is

 

[little_flea]

Second remedial farrier out today - Maggie is getting fancy new Sigafoos in front on Thursday and the plan is to just return her to work as normal. May be a tiny drop of pedal bone but nothing to worry about for now - the angles of the foot won't be perfect this shoeing but will be rectified gradually but apparently no reason not to work her as normal providing she feels comfortable.

Feel very happy about not nailing into her feet, yet not being barefoot as she could not be worked barefoot as things are now.

No bacterial infection to worry about btw.

 

[WellyBaggins]

Sounds good

 

[amandap]

Fingers crossed.