Load of rubbish? Horse has under run heels due to 'type'

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PonyIAmNotFood

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Youngster is having remedial trimming behind to help correct cow hocks before his growth plates fuse. I have noticed his heels becoming under run so mentioned it to the farrier today and asked what I could do about it (meaning for him to say what he was doing as well as what I should do - I did suggest I could walk him onto rougher surfaces if needed and anything else he could suggest). His response was that it was his 'type' (thoroughbred-ish) and they 'weren't that bad'. I have a friends farrier coming for a look next week because I find that answer slightly(!) unsatisfactory.

I'm right in not taking that as an answer aren't I? Is there anything I should be doing to help the heel? He lives out so is on soft ground most of the time. I can walk him on rough stones if needed if that's going to help, stimulate the heel and frog? He's not footy so that won't be an issue.
 
Thank you, I start doubting myself when professionals tell you different to what you think you know - only natural I suppose as they are the ones you are paying! Any ideas on how to help right the heel? He's not fed very often at the mo, just on poor grass and ad lib hayledge. Obviously I will ask friends farrier when he comes to have a look as well.

I've been advised to have him remedially trimmed by leahurst vet hospital as he had OCD lesions in his hocks and poor joints so they wanted as much correction as possible before he fuses.
 
No, not due to type, due to lack of balancing trim. If the heels are pulled forward, then the toe is also probably forward of proper breakover and pulling the heels forward. If the heels are pulled forward enough, they will be landing on the back of the heel pillars, instead of the tops of the pillars and will be smushing them forward everytime he lands as well. It is a pathology that didn't happen overnight and will take time to remediate. The hoof should be round. If its oval, then things are pulling. If the toe is brought back as much as it can be at the time and that the bevel is maintained (or the pull is right back on) and the heels are facing the ground they have to land on, the hoof will start to become rounder and all the parts and pieces will start to migrate back to where they belong. Just stay on top of the trim and always fight thrush.
 
If this farrier has been working with your pony for some time, I would find a different, more knowledgeable one. As you say, he's talking a load of rubbish. The pony does not have under-run heels due to type, he has them because of poor trimming in the past and tbh, I would suspect that is the root of his other problems as well.
 
Thank you for the advice - he won't be coming back. Will see what friends farrier says next week and go from there. Missyclare that makes perfect sense, thank you.

Pearlsasinger, he has had very poor feet in the past due to neglect (before I got him) so probably was a lot to do with things, and now his heels are going I'm so not happy! His feet were starting to look really good, and then he started being 'remedial trimmed' :(
 
Make sure that he has a comfortable heel to land on - if he has a deep central sulcus get in there with a rolled up baby wipe and floss it every day - it helps a great deal.

You won;t get the hoof correcting itself until his heels are comfortable enough to land on. Deal wiht any thrush ruthlessly, and walk the legs off him!
 
I don't think you need to walk him on stones, you need to use a smooth hard surface like tarmac, so he can relax and walk on. What you want to do is to allow the surface to rasp the hoof.
Use it as a training exercise as well.
To walk in hand for 20 mins every day would be good for him, and I would feed minerals and some salt, plus I would offer some medium hay, you want him to have a good hi fibre diet, but not sugar. Even a wee feed of Fast Fibre might help a normal youngster, ,but in his case, I would get some forageplus or progressive earth winter balancer.
 
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