Hind feet wearing more than fronts...

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Snipe

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My new horse is very rear-engine, so to speak. His hind feet wear down much faster than the fronts, to the extent that there's no excess hoof wall left now and he's starting to wear the sole - it's gone all shiney around the toe, almost like it's been cauterised from the friction. The problem is, I really need to increase his hacking workload as he's overweight.

He's never been shod, and I'm reluctant to do so, but I can't afford to buy four boots. I was thinking of shoeing for a cycle, so I can up his workload and also grow some excess hoof as a buffer for when the shoes came off again.

Is this a good idea, or will I regret it later?
 
The question is... is he sore? Looks are not the important part, how hooves function is what matters to the horse.
 
Thanks for replying.

Can you boot behind, and not in front? I'd need some very snug boots, not the big clumpy ones like cavallos or old macs, as he's very active and spooky, and anything bulky or clumpy could cause an accident. I can't afford a full set of easyboots, but could get two, if it's ok to boot only behind. I wouldn't shoe only behind though, so I'm a bit wary?
 
amandap said:
The question is... is he sore? Looks are not the important part, how hooves function is what matters to the horse.
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He's not rock crunching like he used to be. I don't know how much of that is wear and how much is him being overweight, though. :confused:
 
Why not keep your eyes open for a pair of second hand boots that you can wear if you're going to do a long or rough ride.
 
Snipe said:
So it is ok to put boots on the hinds and not the fronts?
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I used to use boots on the back sometimes when mine was shod in front and had no problems so I don't see a problem using them on the back and being bare in front. You probably won't need them all the time, just balance it against how much the feet are wearing. If the weather is better this year the feet will dry out a bit and will be a bit more resistant to wear.
 
I haven't used boots only on hinds for work but I believe it is ok. Many use just front boots so I don't see a problem.
 
If he isn't sore I wouldn't worry about it.

He should develop a "toe callous" which is the sole just inside of the hoof wall, and is part of the weight baring surface of the hoof.

This foot was a work in progress (shoes off only 3 months), but you can see at the toe there is the hoof wall, white line, then 1/2 and inch of sole before the concavity starts.

 
Snipe said:
My new horse is very rear-engine, so to speak. His hind feet wear down much faster than the fronts, to the extent that there's no excess hoof wall left now and he's starting to wear the sole - it's gone all shiney around the toe, almost like it's been cauterised from the friction. The problem is, I really need to increase his hacking workload as he's overweight.

He's never been shod, and I'm reluctant to do so, but I can't afford to buy four boots. I was thinking of shoeing for a cycle, so I can up his workload and also grow some excess hoof as a buffer for when the shoes came off again.

Is this a good idea, or will I regret it later?
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If you think it will help and keep him moving - then cool.

I wonder if he is getting adequate zinc in his diet in order to be able to produce enough good quality tissue to match wear?
 
My old boy who spent most of his life barefoot (before it was the "in" thing to do - I was just a poor student!) had to be shod for a short period of time as I was doing a lot of roadwork and his slow growing hooves couldn't keep up. He was worse at the back as he dragged his toes at the back which sounds like that may be happening here.
Have you had a physio check him if he is dragging?
Shoeing on a short term basis won't destroy his feet forever! Once I left uni and started working full time I did much less hacking so I took them off again and he was fine.
 
Ok, if its fine to boot only behind ill try that first, is I can get some that fit.

His feet are a lot more worn than the one in the photo - his are like the toe of that one all the way round, including bars, and there's about an inch at the toe that's flat and worn down/polished looking. He's got lots of concavity though, so doesn't have flat feet.

Oberon, he gets the forage plus summer balancer - I think that's high in zinc? I'm surprised, as I got him last autumn & he had the winter off - my trimmer was complaining about how much hoof he throws, so I wasn't expecting this to be a problem!

Rachyblue - he gets regular physio checks, and definitely isn't toe dragging, he moves beautifully, but is just very active with his back end.
 
Snipe said:
Ok, if its fine to boot only behind ill try that first, is I can get some that fit.

His feet are a lot more worn than the one in the photo - his are like the toe of that one all the way round, including bars, and there's about an inch at the toe that's flat and worn down/polished looking. He's got lots of concavity though, so doesn't have flat feet.

Oberon, he gets the forage plus summer balancer - I think that's high in zinc? I'm surprised, as I got him last autumn & he had the winter off - my trimmer was complaining about how much hoof he throws, so I wasn't expecting this to be a problem!

Rachyblue - he gets regular physio checks, and definitely isn't toe dragging, he moves beautifully, but is just very active with his back end.
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Yup - the balancer is high in zinc.

There's no thrush is there?
 
Join the phoenix forum and have a look at the for sale or swap section. Loads of people sell boots with plenty of wear left in them so you could probably pick up a set cheaply.

Fwiw I use cavallo boots and haven't had a problem with the clumpyness. They stay on well in all paces.
 
I don't think there's any thrush... my trimmer hasn't mentioned any. His frogs do look very dry after a ride though, a pale grey colour and they seem a bit chapped. There's a tiny bit of a split down the central sulcus, but nothing inside it and it's not tender. I meant to get a photo this morning, but ran out of time.

I'll have a look on the phoenix forum. Trimmer's due out on Thurs (though there's nothing to trim!) so she can measure his feet properly. My friend has a set of cavallos, and they're horrid. I don't know how she can stand them, they're like wellington boots!
 
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