numpty question re pedal bones dropping

[stroppymare153]

OK - admit to being woefully ignorant about feet, largely as I've always been lucky with horses and farriers (well, almost always!)

But, there is a new-ish horse on the yard which has had laminitis. His owner loves him to bits but is of the opinion that vets are just there to make money out of people - unlike her farrier. Said farrier is very young and specialises in remedial farriery. Now I know everyone has to start somewhere, and the lad is caught in a bit of a catch 22 but how someone 3yrs out of college can have enough experience to specialise in remedial farriery defeats me. (I know who he was apprenticed to, and he is a damn good farrier but not a remedial specialist). Farrier has told owner that the horse's pedal bones have dropped so he has recommended imprint shoes. Horse has not been x-rayed.

Question is - is it possible for a farrier to tell that a pedal bone has dropped - short of it actually coming through the sole of the foot?

Thanks for any comments.

 

[cptrayes]

Yes, it's rotation that causes the point to come through the sole of the foot. That can't be properly judged without Xrays. But the height of the pedal bone within the foot causes the sole to go flat if it is too low, and that is easily seen. If it's really bad (called a sinker in the US for obvious reasons) there will be a dip at the coronet band.

She'd be better off sorting out the horse's diet than she would paying for remedial shoeing, it's most often caused by horses not being able to properly digest a diet too high in carbohydrates, sometimes itself caused by Cushings/insulin resistance/EPSM

 

[stroppymare153]

Thanks CPTrayes. Learn something new every day

Re diet - the horse has an OBSCENE crest and fat pads all over the place. He goes out all day, though in a muzzle and until recently was also having 7.5kg soaked hay a night!!!! (he is a 15h-ish cobby chap.) Owner has now cut this down a lot and he is starting to look a bit thinner but still very cresty. Poor b*gger is so sore

 

[Oberon]

Farrier has told owner that the horse's pedal bones have dropped so he has recommended imprint shoes. Horse has not been x-rayed.

Question is - is it possible for a farrier to tell that a pedal bone has dropped - short of it actually coming through the sole of the foot?

Thanks for any comments.

I'm a nurse and I get asked to look at injuries to see if anything is broken or not.

I can't be 100% sure without the aid of an Xray but I can have a pretty good idea by just looking and knowing what looks right and what looks wrong.

Same with hooves. You can't be 100% without Xrays - but when you know what you're looking at, you can have a very good idea.

You would be shocked at the amount of sound horses with horribly rotated coffin bones. No one is any the wiser until the horse is Xrayed for some reason and everyone starts to panic . Sometimes it's too little too late

I am extremely encouraged that this young farrier is savvy enough to see what's going on. Imprints are often successful with lami horses.
Without dietary changes it won't be enough though

 

[TwoStroke]

I'm a nurse and I get asked to look at injuries to see if anything is broken or not.

I can't be 100% sure without the aid of an Xray but I can have a pretty good idea by just looking and knowing what looks right and what looks wrong.

Same with hooves. You can't be 100% without Xrays - but when you know what you're looking at, you can have a very good idea.

You would be shocked at the amount of sound horses with horribly rotated coffin bones. No one is any the wiser until the horse is Xrayed for some reason and everyone starts to panic . Sometimes it's too little too late

I am extremely encouraged that this young farrier is savvy enough to see what's going on. Imprints are often successful with lami horses.
Without dietary changes it won't be enough though

My thoughts exactly, bar the part about being a nurse .