More hoof opinions please

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Inene

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Please could you give me an opinion of these feet. The pictures arent the best but can get more tomorrow.

He is a tb and shod all round . He has a crack coming from his coronary band from a racing injury so he apparently always needs to be in shoes (front anyway) and the reason for the back shoes is because he has flat heels and they grow very slow. My trainer is of the opinion that this feet are a problem and could be why his work ethic is so shockingly bad but he has never been lame. I dont just want to change farriers because someone says so.

http://s300.photobucket.com/user/Laura_McEwan_Nel/library/HOOVES?sort=3&page=1
 
Well I looked at the first photo and my eye was immediately drawn the the hoof in the background. That's a shockingly bad under-run heel. :(

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The over-reach boots are also a red flag. Does the horse regularly pull shoes? I wouldn't be surprised if he does with that poor hoof balance.

I know that he has a crack, but how deep is it?

I really would pull all the shoes if he was mine, even with the crack. If a staple needed to be put across it, so be it, but if it's not through the whole hoof wall depth, it might be absolutely fine without anything. I have had a horse that's had large sections of hoof wall removed and known another that had a keratoma operation. Both horses were fine and the hoof did not fall apart with sections of hoof wall missing. So the crack doesn't frighten me, but I would want to keep a seriously close eye on it and the horse's soundness. A shoe could always be put back on after all.
 
Thank you.

When he first arrived a few years ago he couldnt keep a shoe on. He couldnt get his front feet away fast enough but it took about 6 months or so to improve. He overreaches a bit and has quite a short back if that has anything to do with it?

I am not sure how deep the crack goes and I don't think we can tell but I suspect he may get away without shoes but his feet are quite sensitive to any remotely rocky or stoney ground.

My trainer also thinks his heels are terribly flat and feels there isnt a need to it. Being "a throughbred" is not a valid excuse. His feet grow exceptionally slowly so the nail holes dont seem to grow out in time for the next shoeing if that makes sense.
The hind feet (I will try get a picture tomorrow) heels are even flatter. She suspects that may be the reason he wont use his hindquarter properly or canter properly using his butt.

I am actually having thermal imaging done tomorrow top to toe so am very interested to see what it picks up. It usually can shoe so pressure in the toes when the heels are flat. Cant wait to see what else it shows.
 
It is imperative - if you do take the shoes off - to keep him on comfortable surfaces until he can cope with more challenging ones. If he needs hoof boots, or even boots with pads to start with, then they really are worth getting.

If you haven't seen the rehab work done at Rockley farm, then have a read here. :) http://www.rockleyfarm.co.uk/blog.html
 
Inene said:
Thank you.
His feet grow exceptionally slowly so the nail holes dont seem to grow out in time for the next shoeing if that makes sense.
Click to expand...

You farrier is nailing exceptionally low, so I'm not surprised he is levering his own shoes off occasionally. The feet will grow quicker with an efficient diet and correct simulation ;)
 
I have a TB so I do speak from some experiance here .
If he were mine I would remove his shoes .
My TB grows very little foot the only thing that's seems to help is the forage plus winter performance balancer. I feed it at full dose all year .
I would buy the foot first book by Nic Barker to give you an over view of how improving your horses feet by removing shoes works ( please ignore the bit about feeding seaweed it's since been worked out this a bad idea ) .
If you have access to a school and hacking on grass your horse won't be out of ridden work for long and you can get on with training while he grows new feet .
My TB was out of shoes for eighteen months when I got him it took me nine months to get him hacking around the roads comfortably by the end although he was not perfect on really stony tracks he was show jumping on grass doing dressage and hacking out .
He was reshod because he needed studs for cross country he was not happy without
He now hunts in winter and it's just so much easy to have him shod .
He still spends part of every year BF .
Its a pain but it's an investment in your horses future .
Ps buy a pair of hoof boots for the front feet so you have them from the start .
 
Thank you I will look for that book.

I just had Thermal imaging done on him and the immediate red siren was is front left foot where the crack from the coronary band is. The rest of his body and other three feet showed absolutely nothing .
I am getting it xrayed and I can also see the angle of the feet then as well before I change farriers and make any decisions. Watch this space . Thank you .
 
I too would agree that the best thing you could do for that under run near fore would be to take the shoes off.

There are some things to like, I have certainly seen much worse frogs for instance ;).

The most important thing to consider for starters is diet (then movement, then trim ;) )
 
Update: I did a thermal scan and all three legs and hoofs are fine except from or that front left with the crack. It's a flaming red ball of fire.

I am hoping its heel pain only and we are going to X-ray but also put a wedge or bar shoe on that one. I have had two more farriers look and taking the shoe off is not an option at this stage.

Anyone got any advice on which would be a better option? Wedge or bar? Thanks

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Inene said:
Update: I did a thermal scan and all three legs and hoofs are fine except from or that front left with the crack. It's a flaming red ball of fire.

I am hoping its heel pain only and we are going to X-ray but also put a wedge or bar shoe on that one. I have had two more farriers look and taking the shoe off is not an option at this stage.

Anyone got any advice on which would be a better option? Wedge or bar? Thanks

143173346&filters%5Brecent%5D=1&sort=1&o=0
Click to expand...

The xrays and veterinary advice will make that decision depending on what is found, I would recommend xraying both feet to compare the angles so any treatment can be appropriate and take the better foot into account, longer term if he can get out of the shoes and build up the heel that he requires that would be the best way forward but you do need the vet and farrier on board to do this, many will resist with little reason other than they feel it may not work , whereas shoes give the impression that everything is fine by giving a false heel but it will not allow the heel to develop while they are wearing them so eventually you may end up back to square one.
 
Update: Xrays show some very beautiful clean and correctly angled feet. He just has a very flat sole on that foot and is a bit sensitive in one or two spots so no wedge or bars needed but possibly a pad and maybe a firecracker up the bum:)

Thanks everyone.
 
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