Horses front feet turning in

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LPL

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Hello I'd love to know your thoughts on my boy. Every winter he has his shoes taken off and around now he gets them put back on. So he has around 3/4 months with no shoes. This has worked really well and although he has been sore in the past up our track (which is the most horrendous stony path you can imagine) this year he has been crippled. Hence the slightly earlier reshoeing. I think he has been so sore because it has been so so wet and his feet are soft.
So the problem has been that since he got shod - yesterday - he seems to have gone pigeon toed!!! After a short hack out this afternoon they seemed to straighten somewhat but they are distinctly turned in!! His legs have always been perfectly straight so this isn't something I have just noticed so what do you think it could be? Do you think he has just retrained himself to walk like that to compensate whilst he had his shoes off? I am clueless. He appears sound if not just a little stiff when we first set off.
Any ideas greatly appreciated.
 
Do you have a picture? It takes months and months maybe years to go barefoot. This shoeing then taking off is not doing him any good, you will have to commit to shoes or bare in my opinion.
 
ask the farrier, I would not ask a horse to walk crippled, its cruel, feed for barefoot and keep him barefoot. he may need physio now, but ask your farrier first.
 
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equi said:
Do you have a picture? It takes months and months maybe years to go barefoot. This shoeing then taking off is not doing him any good, you will have to commit to shoes or bare in my opinion.
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I can't agree with this, sorry. No horse should be asked to go barefoot of it takes them years to adjust. In the past it was routine for horses to be shod only during their sport season, autumn/winter for hunters, spring/summer/autumn for jumpers/eventers/showing. This year round shoeing is relatively new in sports horses. I recommend everyone with a shod horse to give it three months a year out of shoes.

OP, your horse is getting older and may have developed cushings. I would have him tested, foot sensitivity is often the very first sign. Is there anything else different this year? Feed, weight, ??

Re the pigeon toes, your farrier may have got things wrong, or perhaps he is getting a little arthritic somewhere. Photos will help, but include the legs not just the feet.
 
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I've been looking for a picture of his legs but I don't really have any! The only front shot I've got is of this: the first time he had his shoes off. It has really worked for him for the past 3 years. Well you'll see when I find the pic of his feet before...


image_zps3141d8b3.jpg


Then it all crumbled off.

image_zpsd972a9bd.jpg



They're the only front leg shots I've got. I'll take a pic of his pigeon toes tomorrow.
 
He is 14 this year, nothing has changed feed or weight or anything wise. I'm paronoid about cushings so I'll look into that ��
 
ycbm said:
I can't agree with this, sorry. No horse should be asked to go barefoot of it takes them years to adjust. In the past it was routine for horses to be shod only during their sport season, autumn/winter for hunters, spring/summer/autumn for jumpers/eventers/showing. This year round shoeing is relatively new in sports horses. I recommend everyone with a shod horse to give it three months a year out of shoes.

OP, your horse is getting older and may have developed cushings. I would have him tested, foot sensitivity is often the very first sign. Is there anything else different this year? Feed, weight, ??
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I would have agreed with you when i had my tb, i liked him to have a few months off too, but the bother of him then being sore for a few weeks, then the bother with his hooves half coming off when shod (this stopped when i changed farrier, but at the time i only knew one farrier) he eventually just got shod and stayed shod. Vs my cobby type who had shes when tb had shoes and none when he had none and never had any issues, was made barefoot.
 
He's fed fast fiber, micronised linseed and SNP hoof supplement. He was on pro earth for a year but SNP seems to work better for him. He's only crippled on the horrific stones. Absolutely fine on grass, concrete or surface.

ETA the reason I say he is crippled is that the stony path is the only path up to the field and that's the most I have seen him walk and where he was most uncomfortable.
 
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Did anything change a few months ago? I just ask cause there is a weird line on all three hooves that i can see.

But he does not look to be turning in in anyway from those photos, so maybe the farrier accidently unbalanced him or something?
 
LPL the photos don't show "pigeon toes" so if he has them since shoeing, the foot balance must be off. Get him to recheck the work ASAP. (I wouldn't ride until it's sorted to avoid other soft tissue issues).

The photos do show some abnormal swelling on the inside of both fetlock joints though.....what is this? Any history? Could this be driving the change in his movement?

I don't think it's a diet issue.
 
Those photos are actually 3 years old. these are probably the most recent pic of his feet, im the middle of last summer.

82D9FC66-ACB3-45AA-8BBA-05F4BAC3583F_zpsostq52xp.jpg


(feels very vulnerable posting hoof pics lol)
 
Sorry should've said those pics are 3 years old. Don't normally notice any swelling so will put that down to a moment in time.
 
LPL said:
Those photos are actually 3 years old. these are probably the most recent pic of his feet, im the middle of last summer.

82D9FC66-ACB3-45AA-8BBA-05F4BAC3583F_zpsostq52xp.jpg


(feels very vulnerable posting hoof pics lol)
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Feet look OK, shoes look like side clips with nails in a kind of irregular pattern. These are front feet, are you sure the farrier knows what he is doing?
Photos are not easy to interpret.
 
LPL said:
I've been looking for a picture of his legs but I don't really have any! The only front shot I've got is of this: the first time he had his shoes off. It has really worked for him for the past 3 years. Well you'll see when I find the pic of his feet before...


image_zps3141d8b3.jpg


Then it all crumbled off.

image_zpsd972a9bd.jpg



They're the only front leg shots I've got. I'll take a pic of his pigeon toes tomorrow.
Click to expand...

I would not be happy with those hooves, but I know some people think that is OK. They are breaking up and cracking, can't see that as healthy.
 
I have used this farrier since after those first awful crumbly feet pic was taken. If that makes sense... I don't thnk they are a very clear representation of what his feet actually look like. The reason he has front side clips is that he literally stands on his own feet all the time and pulls his shoes off. Last year, he did not lose a shoe once! I have had other farriers out and no one has said anything or expressed any concern.

I'll take some more pics tomorrow. Thanks for all your help so far!
 
Whyyyyyy? I don't really know anything about how feet should look.... I mean I know they shouldn't look like they did in those old photos. But that's obvious.
 
equi said:
Do you have a picture? It takes months and months maybe years to go barefoot. This shoeing then taking off is not doing him any good, you will have to commit to shoes or bare in my opinion.
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This is nonsense ,
All my horses send part of the year shod and part of the year unshod .
They have their shoes removed and have a couple of weeks rest then go straight to work BF , I do it every year .
 
LPL said:
Sooo they don't look as pigeony today. But this was the best I could get.

image_zpswnhnj4i3.jpeg
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He's toe out. Are you mistaking pigeon toes (toe in) for toe out?

They aren't bad and the angle looks clearly to me as if it originates just below the knee. I think your farrier has correctly shod to the legs he has instead of trying to put a straight foot on a bent leg. They wouldn't worry me.
 
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My horses would walk on that track .
OP is it a trick of the photo buts what's causing what appears to swelling on inside of the off side leg is it always like that ? Both his joints looks a bit puffy .
I would get the farrier back ASAP for a look and consider a vet depending on what the farrier says .
Something's not right .
 
Brill thanks. No he was defs suuuuper pigeon when he first got shod on Weds haha. I look like an absolute NOOOOOB now don't I haha. Every day is a learning day.
 
ycbm said:
He's toe out. Are you mistaking pigeon toes (toe in) for toe out?

They aren't bad and the angle looks clearly to me as if it originates just below the knee. I think your farrier has correctly shod to the legs he has instead of trying to put a straight foot on a bent leg. They wouldn't worry me.
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Well I am jelous of your horses feet. I *think* it is his hairy legs. I haven't noticed any swelling but will have a closer look tomorrow.

ETA he has a splint on that leg!
 
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