Routine/foot balance X-rays anyone done this

soulfull

soulfull

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Had a slight hiccup with new horse in that he had slight nail bind. Vet and u decide balance could be better and to have fronts X-rays to aid farrier
So when I was at vets decided might as well have all four done
So glad I did as vet said no one would have got balance right on him without them
So just wondered if anyone else has done this
 
Yep, my mare went foot sore and so we X rayed, and found out bits about her feet we could never have guessed! Because of this, we're doing further investigation too, to make sure everything else is fine, fingers crossed!
 
I've decided that when my youngsters are brought into work they will have their feet x-rayed so my farrier can work from them and get the balance right. This is after I've had 2 suffer from lameness with foot balance problems (def not the farrier) in the last 12 months. Prevention is better than cure :)
 
Kat B yep fingers crossed for us

MillionDollar said:
I've decided that when my youngsters are brought into work they will have their feet x-rayed so my farrier can work from them and get the balance right. This is after I've had 2 suffer from lameness with foot balance problems (def not the farrier) in the last 12 months. Prevention is better than cure :)
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Emil is going to be my last horse (fingers crossed he keeps going for 20yrs) but if ever I do buy one perhaps for the grandkids (not even a twinkle yet) it is something I agree is an excellent prevention and will do
 
Not to x-rays per se but I had a brilliant farrier who had been doing my trainer's horses for 20 years and he had a protractor-like device for measuring hoof angles.and he kept a record of each horse, taking measurements before the shoe came off, barefoot and during the trimming and shoeing process. He also watched the horse walk on a hard surface at each point. Along with attention paid to the surfaces we worked on in the school, I think his attention to detail was a major factor in the horses' soundness and longevity.

I'm not saying x-rays are a necessity but I can certainly see the wisdom of combining them with good old fashioned observation and feel to keep horses on the road.
 
X rays are the best way to tell what's going on inside the foot (or MRI ;)), but imo if you know what you're looking for they're rarely necessary, unless you're dealing with foot lameness. There are very few farriers I'd trust to 'balance' my horses feet though, even with x rays.
 
Haven't in the past, but would certainly be something I would consider should either of ours require shoeing in the future. That said, even with x-rays there is no way anyone would be able to balance one of our mares feet how she needs them. They are pretty 'standard' but she needs a couple of v tiny 'wrongs' that keep her sound and happy! Our farrier is excellent, but even with x-rays he would have had his work cut out figuring out how to trim and shoe her in a balanced way that suits, and that also lasts the shoeing cycle. Some are just too bloomin' awkward!
 
TarrSteps said:
Not to x-rays per se but I had a brilliant farrier who had been doing my trainer's horses for 20 years and he had a protractor-like device for measuring hoof angles.and he kept a record of each horse, taking measurements before the shoe came off, barefoot and during the trimming and shoeing process. He also watched the horse walk on a hard surface at each point. Along with attention paid to the surfaces we worked on in the school, I think his attention to detail was a major factor in the horses' soundness and longevity.

I'm not saying x-rays are a necessity but I can certainly see the wisdom of combining them with good old fashioned observation and feel to keep horses on the road.
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That is a bloomin good farrier :D
 
My preference is to be barefoot if possible so that the foot can self trim to some extent and find its own balance.
 
I think it's probably routine in elite horses but ordinary mortals just can't afford 6 monthly or even yearly xrays to ensure the shoes are balanced to the bones inside the foot.

Thankfully, you can get lots of clues from looking at uneven growth rings, unlevel hair lines, unlevel foot landings and uneven shoe wear if you know what you are looking for.

It is clear from the number of horses whose feet change balance dramatically when they go barefoot that some farriers lack the skill to do it though :(
 
Yes, I have a riding school with 25+ horses/ponies. We have started to x-ray the jumping/more advanced/younger school ones this year. Thinking behind it was to catch early changes to coffin joint and also because in discussions with our very good farrier, realised they only get to see x-rays once there is a problem/lameness. So we are doing 16 horses and ponies. Front and side views of front feet and we are doing flexion tests on hind legs at same time. We have done 8 so far, with one showing changes in coffin joint (he's 18) and 3 giving positive flexion tests. We have medicated (steroids) the hock joints in the ones that were positive and our plan is to re-xray front feet in a year (and each year after that) and to x-ray hocks of positive ones in 2 months or so once we see response from steroids.
Whilst its obviously expensive to do this, it gives me peace of mind that we are being proactive about certain treatments/conditions. As the farrier is given copies of all x-rays,it also gives him the peace of mind that the inside of the foot is doing what he thinks/expects, and the chance to make minor changes to foot balance if he thinks its the best course of action.
 
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