Lame... PLEASE look (pics inc) farrier issue?

Nickles1973 said:
As the owner of an ex-racehorse that has had on-off front hoof lameness for virtually all of the 3 years that I have owned him you do have my sympathies.
However, please don't make the mistake that I did of hanging on the every word of a farrier that believes the answer to all ill's is a metal shoe. And then allowing him and a vet that obviously knew no better to contribute (rather than address) to my horse's problems with remedial shoes.
If you do nothing else please find a new farrier that has a more balanced view of hoof care. One that will consider other options than just "chasing the foot" (a term used by my new brilliant farrier) and give your horse the chance of a sound future.
As mentioned before there is a wealth of information out there and you owe it to your horse to arm yourself with as much as you can.
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this is similar to my story, my horse had unexplained lameness and long story short he had hoof x rays ( not that expensive and done at the yard) this showed low heels poor hoof balance and thin soles). I knew no better so on the remedial farrier advice had egg bars put on which disguised the problem for a bit longer :rolleyes:

I was also feeding cereal conditioning mix and conditioning chaff :eek:, after seeking advice on here I now feed the low sugar high fibre diet. I took the back shoes off to test the water in june and so far so good.

Fronts are still bad with the same issues as before, so going to bite the bullet and take the fronts off next. My thoughts are that I need to allow him to right his body by allowing him to grow the hoof he needs.

There is another brilliant forum for people who keep there horse unshod- google phoenixhorse
 
Thanks for all the great (and friendly) replies everyone!

I'm really left with two options now:
Get the farrier who shod him to take his shoes off now & see how he goes without until saturday (when 2nd farrier who I called tonight in tears, lol) comes....

Take them off all together & order some boots to use through winter...

Or leave him as he is and call the vets...


If I take his shoes off though, my worry is his heel is that low & his sole that proud -- will it do more damage than good??

:(
 
I am not a barefoot exponent but I'd take that shoe off straight away!

The shoe doesn't fit the foot, the heels of the shoe are pressing on the bulbs of the horse's heels - no wonder the poor animal is lame!

Unless you can get a better farrier the horse will be better off without shoes imo.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I am not a barefoot exponent but I'd take that shoe off straight away!

The shoe doesn't fit the foot, the heels of the shoe are pressing on the bulbs of the horse's heels - no wonder the poor animal is lame!

Unless you can get a better farrier the horse will be better off without shoes imo.
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Thankyou! That final opinion was all I needed! Shoes coming off tomorrow!
x
 
My vet took shoes off and advised box rest on a deep bed at first. I'm now exercising in boots, so,don't be afraid to take the shoes off, you can always put them back on, and without shoes you can see exactly what is going on.

WRT boots you need to work out what will fit so measure your horse and take it from there. I've got cavallo simple boots which are working well but they may not suit you. The saddlery shop website has lots of advice and a hire service which is a good place to start your research.
 
snopuma said:
The farrier has dubbed the toe its what they do to counteract the underslung heel, it doesn't work only masks the problem, he has also fitted your horse with a shoe that isn't even flat to the ground, and pinching his frogs, and the sole appears to be proud of the shoe so will be putting great pressure on the inner and outer wall, basically if you farrier thought that was a good job, sack him.

You could try another farrier, or try barefoot with boots to rehab your horses feet, whatever you do you have to do it very soon, your horse is attempting to recify the problem look at the event line and the band, there is a plethera of advice about hooves on the internet now and you are allowed to learn as much if not more than your farrier.

What you will find is that farriers like to keep us in a mushroom state, and by that I mean keep us (the owner) in the dark and feed us BS.

Whereas Barefooters are happy to pass on all examples, diet, contact numbers etc..

as they say a little knowledge can be dangerous, that is why I looked at everything, read everything and talked about everything, alot of knowledge to be had out there, good luck
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Yeah.

Ish.
 
L&B said:
Huh??
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My opinion from the pics are that the shoe is pinching the heel bulb and frog, as suggested earlier.

I would get a different farrier!

I would also make your own mind up, over time, whether having your horse unshod (or 'barefoot') suits you and your horse's regime, and try not to follow the fashion of doing it just because!
 
.

What you will find is that farriers like to keep us in a mushroom state, and by that I mean keep us (the owner) in the dark and feed us BS.

Whereas Barefooters are happy to pass on all examples, diet, contact numbers etc..

as they say a little knowledge can be dangerous, that is why I looked at everything, read everything and talked about everything, alot of knowledge to be had out there, good luck[/QUOTE]

What a ridiculous sweeping generalisation!
 
YorksG said:
.

What you will find is that farriers like to keep us in a mushroom state, and by that I mean keep us (the owner) in the dark and feed us BS.

Whereas Barefooters are happy to pass on all examples, diet, contact numbers etc..

as they say a little knowledge can be dangerous, that is why I looked at everything, read everything and talked about everything, alot of knowledge to be had out there, good luck
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What a ridiculous sweeping generalisation![/QUOTE]

Agree!! I just didn't say it in my last post!:)
 
I've had loooads of TBs. Many have gone unshod, others not... My farriers (not trimmers!) have been wonderful but I'm not about to get into a debate on HHO about how farriers don't know how to do a 'barefoot trim', blah blah.
Please get a different farrier. Or PM me and I'll be happy to share my experiences :)
 
Please be aware that simply removing the shoes is just the start. For the horse to grow healthy feet you really need to address the diet. As Oberon said, there's a lot of sugar and starch there that may be causing your horse problems.

Good luck :)
 
I agree that shoe does not from photo evidence appear to fit the foot - which also has health issues which need addressing. How you choose to do this is up to you. But addressing diet and using well fitting boots with decent pads is a very kind and effective way to go.
 
Typical h & h. It's lame, must be the evil shoes, whip them off, all will be better. What a load of rubbish!
op, if the horse is still lame get the farrier out to take the shoe off and check for bruising or pus in foot, it could be something a simple poultice will solve, or it could be something going on with the internal structure of the foot in which case the vet can x ray.
Do not decide, from advice on here, to take the shoes off when it could be something simple. If it is pus or a bruise, deciding to go without shoes from people on here may well make your horse worse.
 
well tbf the horse was shod.. the horse is now lame so not the best of evidence of a good shoe job ;)

I'd be interested to know why you think taking shoes off will make the horse worse if it is puss or a bruise?

OP have you used this farrier previously?
 
Just seen the photos, and that shoe is WRONG !!!! i would get a different farrier out asap - touching the frog like that while cause it to shrink and not work as it should, and it just looks painful to start with :eek:
 
charlie76 said:
Typical h & h. It's lame, must be the evil shoes, whip them off, all will be better. What a load of rubbish!
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Not really.

The horse is lame with shoes.

So the answer is what?

More shoes?

Or address the diet and grow a healthier hoof?

No one is anti shoe on here.

I am personally against unhealthy hooves and patching them together with more shoes to stall pathology.
I would rather people get aggressive with poor hoof health and address it immediately - rather than ignore it until the horse is broken a few years down the line.

It's so frustrating to try and help someone sort out their horse's hooves and get a few months down the line - with hooves much better......only to be felled by chronic internal damage to the joints, coffin bone, tendons and ligaments.
Too little. Too late :(
 
Whatever your views on shoes, its clear that shoe doesn't fit. And from the pic, the frog looks over trimmed too. I'm pretty sure even if you took a horse like mine with healthy feet, who's never had soundness issues, & was fine in shoes, just as she is now without, & put on a shoe like that, she'd show soreness. Let alone one who's feet are already compromised. I'd ask around for recommendations for a good vet, & get them asap. Meantime I'd get some good footage of the horse in those shoes, then remove them, because that can't be comfortable.
 
L&B said:
1351104247274_zps242841d8.jpg
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There are huge event lines growing down (right under the coronet at the moment). I've only seen event lines so big - like big ripples - in horses with laminitis.

OP, please talk to your Vet (or a different Vet).
 
So( in fear of hi jacking the thread) what is the best way to feed for having a horse unshod. My gelding is on hay and grass, a tad overweight at the moment but we are having a try with his shoes coming off next week. he only has fronts on at the mo anyway.
 
He had a click from his stifle on the right hind before and the vet advised back shoes and getting some muscle on him.
He only had fronts previously. And since the farrier put a full set on he has been lame on the front right. I think OP correct me if I'm wrong but the original farrier has had a second look at the fronts. And said he may have taken too much toe off.
Can I just say there has been some brilliant friendly advice on this thread :)
 
I think it's very hard to tell by those pics tbh as the angle etc isn't great but the shoe does look to be pushing into the frog.

Get the vet and go from there.

I would be very concerned about just taking his shoes off, if that's the route you would like to take after the vet has been etc than you will get loads of support and advise via here but you know to RESEARCH loads and learn
 
YorksG said:
.

What you will find is that farriers like to keep us in a mushroom state, and by that I mean keep us (the owner) in the dark and feed us BS.

Whereas Barefooters are happy to pass on all examples, diet, contact numbers etc..

as they say a little knowledge can be dangerous, that is why I looked at everything, read everything and talked about everything, alot of knowledge to be had out there, good luck
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What a ridiculous sweeping generalisation!
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^^This^^

My farrier tells me EVERYTHING he is doing, and why he is doing it and HE suggested keeping two of mine barefoot, he trims them, and they have been doing fine for the last....ooo....5 years now....
 
agree with getting farrier back out. I would get them to pressure test the soles etc just to check there isnt an abcess. Has he gone unsound in front/behind?
 
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