Shoes removed: hoof wall breaking off badly below nail holes

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Charlie31

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My horse had his shoes removed about two weeks ago now. I was expecting there to be some chipping and breaking off below the nail holes but wasn't expecting it to be as bad as it is. Pretty much all of the out hoof wall has broken away and even bits of wall around the toe have gone too where they've been next to nail holes closer to the front of the hoof. I have to admit it looks pretty awful and I'm quite worried.

There is no breaking off above the nail holes and no indication of it travelling upwards. The hooves look mostly okay from the underneath but terrible when viewed from the top. The rest of the hoof wall where it hasn't broken off does actually look really healthy and strong and shiny so I'm sure it's just where the nail holes have ruined the structural integrity of the hoof. The soles also look pretty good too. I'm still worried though. Has anybody else been through this and is it just par for the course while we go through this transition period?

The horse is sound in the field and happy to be led out on tarmac in hand. He is fine being ridden in the school and on grass, ever so slightly tentative to be ridden on tarmac but happy to be ridden anywhere at all with front hoof boots on.

I've only been doing gentle hacks for the time being as I don't want to overdo it. I understand that I need to keep him moving to encourage the hoof to grow, so if I can keep him going then we can get this rubbish bit of hoof grown out more quickly. I am worried about overdoing it while the hooves are such a mess though.

Given that he seems happy with the level of work we're doing at the moment would you encourage me to keep going unless he tells me otherwise or would he better having a few weeks off while he grows out some of the rubbish?

Thanks for any advice, it's all new to me and I can't help but fret.
 
Don't worry, easy to say ;)
Yes movement is goo but not pushing it too much is also important so I would carry on as you are and take solace in the fact that given his feet have fallen apart the shoes weren't doing them much good ;) I'd maybe give the chipped bits a squirt with some sole cleanse.

He good thing is mine didn't really chip but had quite wide white lines, you won't have to do half as much digging for small stone chippings as I did :) - they also resurfaced the road.

Be aware and don't panic if in a few more weeks he is a bit more sensitive than he is now too. You have boots so won't be a problem :)
 
Thanks for this. I need to hear from somebody who's been through it and finds it easy to say because I am a big worrier which isn't doing me much good at the moment! Your reassurance is definitely helpful as at least I know what to expect.

To be honest the reason I went for having the shoes removed in the first place is because his feet break up every summer where the old nail holes have been and even with shoes on they looked terrible. I was convinced it was the nails doing the damage and just figured it was time to try something different. I don't mind if it takes a while to sort out if it stops this annual cycle of damaged hooves. I just need to not be worrying so much while it happens!

I haven't seen the sole cleanse before but it looks good so I'll order some. His white lines generally look okay really but I'm still faithfully picking out any bits of chippings each day just in case. Did I mention that I'm a bit of a worrier...
 
Worrying normal ;) I'm fairly pro, I'm trying the having him 200 miles away option ATM but it doesn't stop ;)!

I do find with mine that although his frogs won't appear thrushy a squirt of sole cleanse once a week seems to keep them in better nick.

Mine had very flat soles and was lame, he did 6 weeks of slowly increasing road work (from 5 mins on long reins) and then went quite sore so spent the next few months mostly working in boots unless on grass. Best think i could have done for him though :)
 
It;s better if you can post pictures :)

The hoof wall where the nail holes are is weak so it will break off and if the balance has been off in shoes then the wall will break even more but it really is nothing to worry about. A barefoot horse walks on more than just hoof wall - it's the whole foot that is used (as it should be) so, sole, frog as well as the wall. It's aesthetics at the moment and it's not pretty to look at but it will grow down.

So long as the horse is sound, keep working and if worried, ask you hoofcare practitioner whether that be your farrier or your EP.
 
Thanks for all the reassurance, it really is very comforting and helpful. I will keep going and try not to worry so much.

Farrier is out next week. Obviously I know that it's early days and the hooves will still look rubbish after the trim but maybe they'll look a little bit better and I can worry a bit less then too!
 
It took me a long time to really believe my horses hooves wouldn't fall off if I rode him barefoot :D After 2 1/2 years I'm now a little more relaxed! Worrying is normal, I'd advise you to listen to your horse, they're his hooves after all. If he is comfortable crack on, if he is sore boot! Good luck.
 
alibali said:
It took me a long time to really believe my horses hooves wouldn't fall off if I rode him barefoot :D After 2 1/2 years I'm now a little more relaxed! Worrying is normal, I'd advise you to listen to your horse, they're his hooves after all. If he is comfortable crack on, if he is sore boot! Good luck.
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True, and getting used to a different foot shape! I would look to buy a decent barefoot book to keep yourself reassured and provide guidance. My favourites are by Nick Barker, Pete Ramey and Jaime Jackson.
 
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