Conformation and Condition Critique please?

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lucemoose

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Any hoof/farriery experts?
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Now im not going to call myself a hoof expert but to me the HPA does not look too great and the wedges are obviously an indicator of hoof balance issues or dropped heels (but if he had dropped heels he would have heart bar shoes?!). The shoe also looks like it has been fitted slightly rotated? any ideas why?
Rest of him looks gorgeous though!!!
 
He has torn his deep digital flexor tendons in each foot, wedges are to relieve strain on them - his HPA was actually fine before, am not happy about the wedges really, want them off. Also his heels were non typical TB before, now they are contracting.
Have been thinking that they look slightly 'spun' too, will have a word with farrier, thank you.
 
condition....good

conformation...

a little back at the knee..

his front fet could be a little less down at heel,...

and not "straight" and in line behind


if i were you, i'd get myself a different farrier.................
 
Hate wedges with a passion am afraid, because of all the thigs you have mentioned. Cause contracted heels, and can change the foot balance and cause flat feet!
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Would much prefer heart bars...... His conformation and condition is good, he is an overall nice picture. Hope he gets better soon
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See im no expert!!! lol

in which case I can see why he has wedges for DDFT. Now I might be wrong again but to me it looks like farrier has rotated the shoes on purpose to give extra support to the heels (and thus the DDFT) but either he did it as he didnt have and egg or heart bar shoes or the shoes he put on would be too short if fitted correctly? what does everyone else think?!
go on guys shoot me down....i dare ya!!!
 
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Haha, theres a new mini shetland at the yard he is obsessed by- it lives inside....

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and I thought Ty was the only horse that loved shetlands.....!
 
Agree VictoriaEDT, would like to see longer shoes to support more of the heel. If you take the wedges off, you can actually see the foot itself is slightly long in the toe and flat
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Thank you, he is very narrow behind and since he has been out of proper work they seem to have twisted outwards, when he is muscled he is square and straight.

I like to know what to discuss with the farrier, rather not get rid of him just yet
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Agree VictoriaEDT, would like to see longer shoes to support more of the heel. If you take the wedges off, you can actually see the foot itself is slightly long in the toe and flat
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You should have seen the feet when the wedges were off last shoeing session, I nearly cried
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Sooo long and underrun.
 
Farrier not keen on wedges, or anything other than a normal or NB shoe. Suits me. These wedges are on vets orders but Ill be damned if I can get them off asap.
Now I just need to get the vet down at the same time as the farrier so they can do battle...
 
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Haha, theres a new mini shetland at the yard he is obsessed by- it lives inside....

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and I thought Ty was the only horse that loved shetlands.....!

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He luuuuurves it!
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Everyone is quite excited if I can schedule this battle! I for one will be.
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Farrier is very good to me, he draws diagrams of the leg and tendons in the dirt on his van- vet is also an expert but at the end of the day its the horse stuck in the middle.
 
Light blue touch-paper and stand well back........
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My farrier shoes with slightly elongated heels for my (would be underrun) TB

And horsie's moustache is not symmetrical, is my CC on him!
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Nice fellow and in my horsie's very definite opinion, absolutely mad to even approach one of those 'sheep that are not sheep'.
 
Condition - not bad considering what work he's doing, what food do you have him on? I stuffed as much fibre down Maiden as I could, it worked wonders until she HAD to be turned out in a lush field to stop her running about (she HAD to be turned out and could NOT run around... ended up fat and lazy!)
Feet - if you ignore the wedges and look at them as if they are all "his", the angle looks ok to me. However the hinds look too upright. I also don't like wedges (I know a horse with navicular changes who has recently had wedges put on, he loathes them!) and I know my mare came to me with eggbars on (I swallowed some story about a previous farrier having mutilated her feet and current farrier wanting eggbars on - pretty certain now it was because of a previously torn DDFT) and she had been sound for a very long time. She also stayed sound for a very long time even when the eggbars came off and she was shod with the shoe very set back to support the heel and reduce breakover time.
I did a lot of research on HPAs recently for an assignment, and have just started (re-)researching tendon tears for another assignment. I can't remember exactly but I think eggbars were advocated as being more useful than wedges in a few studies. The most important factor though was found to be regular shoeing intervals - six weeks MAX. If the toe is allowed to get long, even in a horse who hasn't previously torn a DDFT, the risk of tearing the DDFT is greatly increased as the forces put on it are vastly increased.
IMO if you don't want the wedges on (and remember although the vet is the expert, you know your horse and vets can only give advice) you need to get him in eggbars and have him trimmed very regularly to encourage the toe to stay short and the heels to grow. I stuck Maiden on a biotin supplement, worked wonders for her rubbish feet and low heels
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Sorry if I rambled a bit...
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I think that his condition looks great, really really good. His back legs look a little straight but otherwise really nice conformation. Good luck with the farrier and the vet.
 
Eek those plastic heel wedges look dreadfull, had those on my mare ( on the advice of my vet) and they completey WRECKED her! Her whole back became twisted her neck changed shape because they altered her stance so much that she became extremely uncomfortable. Before the heel wedges she looked stunning, compact and beautifull, with the heel wedges on she gradually started to look more and more like a donkey, as it just altered her whole conformation and her way of walking.
She has had those wedges off for 6 months now and still hasnt really recovered from it, judging by her shape. She hasnt been the same again ever since, even though the wedges were only on for about 3 shoeings.
Anyway, I dont really listen to my vets advice on the feet anymore, I take the advice of the farrier.
 
Thanks re. condition, am amazed actually that he looks like he does. Adlib hay, Alfa A and a handful of pony nuts. He gets MSM and a hoof supplement too. Hate these wedges, he will need to learn to be a horse again without them and of course more box rest when (not if!) they are removed.
He is shod at 5 week intervals except in this case when it will be 6wks and 2 days, these pics were taken today.
Much preferred his original post MRI scan shoeing which was NB in front and bog standard behind.
Would help if the damn horse would stand straight/not in drainage channels and I think he is actually on tiptoe looking through the window!
Will PM you my DDFT friend.
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Oh dont say that! He has had these since Oct, am desperately hoping yet trying not to- that he will come right..
He is sound, yet the way in which his footfall has changed is so odd, such a naturally long and rangy stride cuts very short and stilted (yet more sound than the rest of the yard
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Have to say farrier advice comes over vet, aside from the last nugget of wisdom which was to get him fit "and see how he jumps"..
Thank you O_B
 
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