Taking horses shoes off tomorrow

[SNORKEY]

My farriers coming tomorrow and taking my boys shoes off, he's having the winter off (I'm having a baby) and he's been lame on and off nearly all year on hard or stoney ground. X-rays are clear and vet blames his flat feet.
He is very low on his heels. My farrier has said he has a few barefoot customers but I'm not 100% sure its not him that caused his problems in the first place!
When he's trimming his feet should he only be taking his toes back and leaving the frog and heel well alone?

 

[Oberon]

My farriers coming tomorrow and taking my boys shoes off, he's having the winter off (I'm having a baby) and he's been lame on and off nearly all year on hard or stoney ground. X-rays are clear and vet blames his flat feet.
He is very low on his heels. My farrier has said he has a few barefoot customers but I'm not 100% sure its not him that caused his problems in the first place!
When he's trimming his feet should he only be taking his toes back and leaving the frog and heel well alone?

For the first cycle it can be beneficial to just remove the shoes and leave the trimming alone. The excess will crumble away over the next few weeks and it gives some protection to the frog and sole at first.

It won't look pretty . But it won't do any harm and may well make him more comfortable.

Your farrier can tidy up at the next cycle.

 

[SNORKEY]

Thanks, his toe is quite long, he has long sloping feet with flat heels, even though I have him shod every 6/7 weeks! Will he be ok to leave the long toe then?

 

[twinkle]

I would also not really trim the feet just leave them as its a bit more protection.

good luck boots may come in handy at the beg if hes not comfy.

 

[Oberon]

Thanks, his toe is quite long, he has long sloping feet with flat heels, even though I have him shod every 6/7 weeks! Will he be ok to leave the long toe then?

Either way will work.

The normal practice is just to trim and tidy up the wall and the farrier may prefer to do this.

It often helps though to forgo this on the first occasion (post shoe removal) to provide some sacrificial wall to protect a wimpy frog and sole for the first few weeks.

If the wall is too long it will be poorly connected to the laminae - so it will chip and break off easily itself. It won't cause any harm or damage to the well connected growth at the top (despite a common belief that it may).

It's not a biggie whichever way the farrier decides to go - as long as he leaves the sole and frog alone .

 

[SNORKEY]

That's great thanks, I'm so worried my farrier is going to make him worse. He's a lovely guy who we've used for over 10yrs and has never raised his prices, but I'm sure he's to blame for my horses bad feet, so it might be time to find someone else

 

[MagicMelon]

If you dont trust your farrier - get a new one now! Maybe look for a proper barefoot trimmer as opposed to a farrier, farriers only trim in preparation for a shoe. A barefoot trimmer is far more natural. I use both depending on the horse!