Is there any way to prevent corns?

m3gan

m3gan

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My boy has had two lots of corns in his front feet, which my farrier cuts out. He says that it is because he has small hooves. Is there any thing I can do to prevent him getting them? (He isn't ridden on hard surfaces much as we are on the edge of the moor!)
 
As far as I know, not having any experience of corns myself thankfully, they are usually caused by poor shoeing - the shoe not coming far enough back under the heels and/or being left on too long. Particularly as you don't ride on hard surfaces much, why not consider taking his shoes off for a while and seeing if the corns disappear then? You could also have a look at the book 'No Foot, No Horse' by Williams and Deacon - they have some very nice explanations of hoof balance and requirements for good shoeing.
 
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Development of corns is not always down to poor shoeing.

Is your farrier putting corn shoes on?

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Hi there,
I am not familiar with corn shoes as far as I know my farrier has not put them on! What are they?
 
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As far as I know, not having any experience of corns myself thankfully, they are usually caused by poor shoeing - the shoe not coming far enough back under the heels and/or being left on too long. Particularly as you don't ride on hard surfaces much, why not consider taking his shoes off for a while and seeing if the corns disappear then? You could also have a look at the book 'No Foot, No Horse' by Williams and Deacon - they have some very nice explanations of hoof balance and requirements for good shoeing.

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My ned has always been shod every six weeks and not left longer, plus my farrier has always been brilliant, so I don't think it is down to poor shoeing.

I did wonder what would happen if he was barefoot, but assumed his feet would not be suitable if he was prone to corns. I would be interested in looking at the book you mention !

Thank you!
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Development of corns is not always down to poor shoeing.

Is your farrier putting corn shoes on?

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi there,
I am not familiar with corn shoes as far as I know my farrier has not put them on! What are they?

[/ QUOTE ]

Next time your horse is shod, ask the farrier about them. Basically the shoe is designed to take the pressure off the area where the corns occur. Thus preventing them from re-occurring.

What breeding is your horse??
 
If you're interested in barefoot, the new book 'Feet First' by Nic Barker is a good read - would probably give you the confidence to try even with the corns!
 
Hi SallySmith,

Thank you I will ask my farrier next time.

Ned is an Arab!!
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[ QUOTE ]
If you're interested in barefoot, the new book 'Feet First' by Nic Barker is a good read - would probably give you the confidence to try even with the corns!

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you , I will look at this book, even with corns! When I mentioned to my farrier about trying barefoot he said that my ned wouldn't be that suitable because he tends to wear out his shoes unevenly, and that would be bad for barefoot.( I guess it isn't in a farriers best interest to go barefoot, perhaps!?)
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I would make sure there aren't any underlying problems first.

At the start of this year, my horse had a corn, farrier dug it out and we continued as normal. About 5 weeks later he went lame again, but would be sound after the corn was dug out.

We decided to take him to the vets to check nothing more serious was happening, and it turned out there was problems in the foot, where the corns were just a symptom. He came back into work a few months ago following remedial shoeing, and we don't have any problems with corns any more.

Is it always towards the end of the shoeings the horse gets the corns, or at any point? If it is at the ends, I would recommend getting him shod a week earlier to see if that helps. But I would only consider that after getting the all clear from the vets.
 

I hear a Bar shoe can support heels to promote expansion and give greater support to the foot to help the problem.

Barefoot can help the problem depending on what work your doing with the horse it gives a chance to the horses feet to recover naturally if has got contracted heels.
Hope that helps!
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d-c,

Thank you for your reply, the corn he has just had removed was on a different foot from the one he had 3 months ago, so I am hoping it is not connected to a problem with his feet in general. Obviously I will get the vet to check if he has a third corn.

Caroline JS,

Thank you for your advice I will ask the farrier about bar shoes. My ned is only used for hacking or pleasure rides, and as he is kept on the edge of the moor, when the weather is permitting, mainly ridden on the moors, so not too much in the way of road work.
 
When my youngsgter was first shod he kept on getting corns. The only way we solved it was by doing his fronts every four weeks for half a year and my farrier tapered the heels of the shoes down to try to avoid putting pressure on the seat of the corn. Now an 8 year old my horse has been corn free and is shod every six weeks.
 
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