Shoeing/farrier :-/

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diet2ride

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last year towards the end of summer nas started this kind of shuffle type walk. He wasn't obviously lame but he wasn't right. He was due to be shod and when he came out you could see he had grown a lot of hoof and his heels were practically on the floor. The angles were all wrong, so to give h more support the farrier took him shorter at the toe. Which instantly stopped the shuffling motion.

Then earlier this year in the snow nas went outright lame, with what the vet said could be an abscess, nothing came of that and I came to conclusion that what with shorter toes and really bad snow shoes, nas had bruised soles. Which you could see. So farrier came and put shoes back on, he's been pretty much ok since but now it looks as though his toes on fore are turning inwards! Which I have heard can be common with some farriers :-/ I can't 100% say if it's normal or not for nas, but I'm sure I would of noticed before. Oh and again he's feet have grown really long so I don't know if that's a factor.

My farrier is due on Wednesday and said he would sort it. :-/ part of me wonders if I should just try a new farrier. I don't like to write people of without a fair chance but equally want what's best for nas. Other local people swear by my farrier. :-/
 
Do you have any pictures you could show us? Very hard to picture what you're describing but if we can see, we may be able to spot something.
 
Every 6ish weeks now. He was always 7 before I moved upto Norfolk. Boy do I miss my old farrier 4 yrs no problems never let me down once.

When I bring him in later I will try to get pics of what I mean.
 
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I hate to say it d2r... Those are very not great feet. Not by any standard and if I were a farrier I would be ashamed. They are far too long all around, and completely uneven. No wonder he can't walk in a straight line.

His frog is not the worst I have seen but the one on show is contracted and to put it bluntly, his hooves are too small for him. Like wearing shoes two sizes too small.

My advice is to find another farrier if this one can't see what he is doing to these hooves. Shortening his toe will do nothing for his gait or his feet, infact will unbalance him even more and possibly even cause injury further up the leg. What I think what needs to happen is that his heels need to support his frame more, not his toe. More off at the toe will inevitably put him into a "high heels" situation so he totters around on twisted and and tipped pedal bone. You may even end up with an injured pedal bone looking at the pastern/hoof angle.

Not looking good I'm afraid d2r. Sorry that I am woeful, but I can't look and not say what I see. :(
 
The things that jump out are - no heel support, flare and ridges on the sides of the hooves.

I would not be pleased with that shoeing job and I would also check his (the pony's) diet.

ETA - I've looked at the sole shot and again the heel is possibly sheared. :(
 
Also, I have just noticed some old bruising which happened possibly 3-4 months ago just above the flare. The hoof growth above that bruise actually looks better than what was growing below.
 
What's sheared? I've been looking at his feet for a thinking they don't look right to me. Like you said his feet look to small and not in a nice tidy way

Feel like I've let him down. I have been speaking to another farrier who will hopefully come out ASAP.
 
D2R - I've been there and I had to sack a Farrier that unbalanced my mare's hooves in a handful of shoeings. You paid a Farrier to look after your horse's hooves, they have done training, passed an exam and have the qualification that means that they should be capable of doing this job. You weren't happy and you have asked for advice.

I see badly balanced hooves all the time - what is going on, are the training and exams etc.. not up to standard? It's very sad.

Normal heels.
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Sheared heels (look at the crack that the arrows point at).
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The normal heels are much wider. The sheared heels are squashed together (contracted).
 
Thanks for your replies. I had new farrier out yesterday and thought I would show you what he's done.

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http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/picture.php?albumid=5775&pictureid=22897

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/picture.php?albumid=5775&pictureid=22899

Nas was a bit footie afterwards, but I decided to turn him out last night, rather than having him couped up. this morning its like having a different horse he can now turn on the forehand with ease. fingers crossed its not just a fluke and I can bring him back into work soon.

farrier, agreed with comments and has gone for bigger shoes, he also showed me the difference in shape to the hind shoes, compared to the ones he took off.
 
It's a better shoe job than the one before, to be sure. Just be careful about doing to much with him too soon, as it's a big change for his hooves to adjust to, and you don't want an injury, so take it easy for a little while.

I have to say though, that I think a large portion of your issues are dietary. The rippling hoof walls are very concerning, and not caused by the farrier. Grass is often the culprit.
 
I think you may need to look at the horse's diet and particularly sugar intake and mineral status. The hooves wanting to run forward, the repeated ripples on the wall, the shuffling gait (I know shortening the toe fixed it) and redness on the hoof wall are all signs of diet/metabolic distress. Sorry to go on about this but shoeing wont fix this aspect. Actually, I'm not sorry, more hesitant.

ps. Difficulty turning is another symptom of metabolic upset making hooves sore.
 
amandap said:
I think you may need to look at the horse's diet and particularly sugar intake and mineral status. The hooves wanting to run forward, the repeated ripples on the wall, the shuffling gait (I know shortening the toe fixed it) and redness on the hoof wall are all signs of diet/metabolic distress. Sorry to go on about this but shoeing wont fix this aspect. Actually, I'm not sorry, more hesitant.

ps. Difficulty turning is another symptom of metabolic upset making hooves sore.
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this ^^^
 
They look much better. :)

RE diet, I saw a huge improvement in my horses hooves when I swapped from a molassed chaff to a non molassed chaff. I was amazed that such a simple change made such a difference to horn quality.

ETA. It now really annoys me that I have to order in the non molassed chaff, but both feed stores in my area stock countless different molassed chaffs.

ETA. Would the farrier be willing to give a bit more heel support on the fore hooves? I know that people worry that the horse will rip shoes off if they stick out slightly at the back, but his heels are under-run and it's better if the shoe ends where his heel should be if it wasn't under-run. I hope that makes sense.
 
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hmmm I will look into his diet, I have been talking to a nutritionalist. he is on haylage due to allergies. soaked hay doesn't make much difference. I was considering trying to steam it. but I have recently changed his bedding which has definitely helped without needing supplements.

we moved here just under two years ago, before he was on limited 4hrs a day turnout on really lush quality grass. here the grass isn't so good but he's out a lot more, lives out in summer, and is on less haylage as a result.

The only other significant change was I switched over from happy hoof to healthy hooves when we moved up here, wonder if that is something to consider.
 
I agree they certainly look better and with faracat on perhaps having a bit more heel support in front, perhaps discuss it with him next time and see what he plans :).

Re the feeding front oberon has a pm covering most points which I am sure she would send you :). eg the healthy hooves might not be great for him, perhaps be better on something like fast fibre or speedibeet and a good hoof supp like pro hoof (as unless you are feeding a lot of the HH he prob isn't getting the right levels)
 
Happy hoof and healthy hooves should be reported under some sort of trade descriptions act or something.

The amount of sugar they both contain is actually no good for hooves at all...

Try dengie unmollassed hi fi lite and some soaked speedibeet instead. Speedibeet is high in calcium and will help horn quality. You could always add in micronised linseed and a good general supplement to make sure he has everything.
 
that was what he was on when I first got him... hifi light, and this year is the first time I haven't given him speedibeet over the winter.

he has lost about 200lb this year according to the weigh tape. he was looking very ribby, and not his usual self. hes only just beginning to gain some of it back and his summer coat.
 
Speedibeet is low sugar but it's pretty good for condition. It's what my 2yo gets and she looks like this...



You wouldn't think it and she gets very little else!
 
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