kirstie
Well-Known Member
This is going to be an essay- apologies in advance!
My horse has recently developed two cracks on the inside of her near hind hoof. They are both towards the back of the foot, one is about and 3.5cm long, horizontal and about 1.5 cm from the edge of her hoof where her shoe is at the back of the crack and about 3-4cm from the bottom of the foot at the front of the crack.
The second crack is right at the back of the foot, about 1cm long and meets with the back of her shoe- so under her heel.
The second crack is newest, I noticed the first about 4 weeks ago and the second about 2 weeks ago. My farrier shod her 2 weeks ago and said that the cracks are due to how she is placing the foot when she is working. She is shod every 6 weeks.
There is a change line across her foot just above the second crack, which is the higher crack on the foot.
When I look at the foot straight on, it seems to me that it looks like the foot is trying to flare out on the inside and the shoe is preventing it, hence the cracks.
From the beginning of the summer, her work load has increased, she has been going really well and her work has become more challenging, really asking her to engage and start to take her weight back. She has always found it harder to engage her near hind, which I have been working on to stregnthen her and get her working correctly.
My thinking at the moment is that where she is starting to use herself more correctly, she is changing her way of going and is putting more pressure on her hind foot, hence the foot wanting to spread, the shoe restricting it and cracks developing.
My other thoughts are that there may be issues further up, and she is compensating and the pressure is showing through the cracks...
I have recently added linseed to her diet, she has 8-10lbs of haylage a day when she comes in from the field and 16lbs of good quality hay overnight. 2x scoops of alfa A, 2 scoops high fibre cubes, 1.5 scoops sugar beet, suppleaze gold and 200g of linseed a day, split over 2 feeds. She is turned out 7.30am- 2.30pm daily on not good grazing, the field is very wet at the moment, which I do not think is helping. I have also been putting antibac on the cracks 2x a week.
She is 17hh Trakehner, 9 years old, 10 this year, I have had her since she was rising 4. Her feet have always been small for her size.
My gut instinct is to take her back shoes off in 4 weeks time when she is next due to be shod. I am going on holiday for a week straight after, so she can have some time to adjust and then I can pick up work with her again.
Any advice would be really gratefully received. I have never really had issues with her feet before, apart from one puss in the foot about 3 weeks ago.
Thank you!
My horse has recently developed two cracks on the inside of her near hind hoof. They are both towards the back of the foot, one is about and 3.5cm long, horizontal and about 1.5 cm from the edge of her hoof where her shoe is at the back of the crack and about 3-4cm from the bottom of the foot at the front of the crack.
The second crack is right at the back of the foot, about 1cm long and meets with the back of her shoe- so under her heel.
The second crack is newest, I noticed the first about 4 weeks ago and the second about 2 weeks ago. My farrier shod her 2 weeks ago and said that the cracks are due to how she is placing the foot when she is working. She is shod every 6 weeks.
There is a change line across her foot just above the second crack, which is the higher crack on the foot.
When I look at the foot straight on, it seems to me that it looks like the foot is trying to flare out on the inside and the shoe is preventing it, hence the cracks.
From the beginning of the summer, her work load has increased, she has been going really well and her work has become more challenging, really asking her to engage and start to take her weight back. She has always found it harder to engage her near hind, which I have been working on to stregnthen her and get her working correctly.
My thinking at the moment is that where she is starting to use herself more correctly, she is changing her way of going and is putting more pressure on her hind foot, hence the foot wanting to spread, the shoe restricting it and cracks developing.
My other thoughts are that there may be issues further up, and she is compensating and the pressure is showing through the cracks...
I have recently added linseed to her diet, she has 8-10lbs of haylage a day when she comes in from the field and 16lbs of good quality hay overnight. 2x scoops of alfa A, 2 scoops high fibre cubes, 1.5 scoops sugar beet, suppleaze gold and 200g of linseed a day, split over 2 feeds. She is turned out 7.30am- 2.30pm daily on not good grazing, the field is very wet at the moment, which I do not think is helping. I have also been putting antibac on the cracks 2x a week.
She is 17hh Trakehner, 9 years old, 10 this year, I have had her since she was rising 4. Her feet have always been small for her size.
My gut instinct is to take her back shoes off in 4 weeks time when she is next due to be shod. I am going on holiday for a week straight after, so she can have some time to adjust and then I can pick up work with her again.
Any advice would be really gratefully received. I have never really had issues with her feet before, apart from one puss in the foot about 3 weeks ago.
Thank you!