Taking the shoes off this horse... yes or no...

wench

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 December 2005
Messages
10,260
Visit site
Some of you may have seen previous posts about horse.

Accident as a yearling, resulting is split coronet band, and a crack down the hoof. Crack is in a straight line, both bits of hoof stable.

Hoof has been xrayed twice. First x-ray showed that the crack is "cosmetic" and only goes a couple of mm into the hoof wall. Also showed that the internal bones of the hoof were unbalanced as it was shod.

Farrier comes out, shown xrays, and shoes differently.

Second x-ray showed that the internal structure was much more balanced, still a little way to go. However, I am not sure if the farrier has managed to get the last bit of the angle as needed to totally straighten up the bones.

So... question is... would you take the shoes off this horse? Will doing this allow the foot to balance itself "naturally"? Horse is moving yards shortly, and will either be out 24/7, or out in day and in at night. Should be doing some light lunging work 2/3 times a week, in a school on a surface. Not much concrete to walk over to get from field to stables. Cannot be fed on a "barefoot" diet, as new yard will not feed different bits of this that and the other. However feed that horse will be getting was the same as a previous TB without shoes on had, and was perfectly fine on (ie never footy).

All suggestions and help welcome.
 
CPT - I have only got old photographs I previously sent you via PM. The hoof is in a lot better shape now.

Vet was happy for horse to have shoes off when not in work.
 
As Cptrayes says... need pics really. I know of a horse with a similar (but much worse by the sounds of it) injury who aparently goes lame when unshod but her crack sounds deeper and more unstable in itself.

As for new yard not feeding a diet according to the individual horse's needs, I find this prett poor TBH... You would have thought in this day and age people would realise that not every horse has the same nutritional requirements... just because previous TB was never footy does not mean that this one will cope on the same diet...
 
CPT - I have only got old photographs I previously sent you via PM. The hoof is in a lot better shape now.

Vet was happy for horse to have shoes off when not in work.

I'm so sorry Wench, I have an impossibly bad memory for names (and faces!) It's very embarassing.


If the vet was happy when not in work, then I would start work and up the level gradually and watch what happens carefully.

Can we have a new photo?
 
Thats no problem CPT... I will get a new photo asap.

Not sure when next shoeing is due, but when it is I will have farrier take the shoes off.
 
Top