Just a wee note: I have a good history with my farrier (He was just starting out as a farrier with my previous horse) and this is the first time this particular horse has been worked on by him. As owner I am responsible for my horses feet so anything I can glean from this forum will help me work with him in the future. I don't think this young horse's feet are off to a great start. Help!
Usually it doesn't work out very well when a horse owner tries to instruct their farrier based on information from an Internet forum. Some farriers fit shoes based on observation, biomechanical considerations, and empirical data collected on how the horse (or a given conformation trait) responds to changes in shoeing. Some farriers deny observation and mechanical considerations in order to preserve their belief in "the way shoes are supposed to be fit." Science vs. dogma.
As Tom has demonstrated e is short of metal. Im not sure if he needs a bigger shoe or it letting back a bit more. Sam did you know him as a foal? Did he have some bent legs when a couple of weeks old? That crack looks like a problem waiting to happen.
I agree. And probably a good dose of gut instinct. I appreciate your warning. I don't assume to instruct my farrier. And I understand the massive limitations of making comments based on photos. But you are helping me to get is a picture of what issues the horse has, whether they are serious, how he got there (which ultimately is my fault) and options to work with. My Farrier enjoys a good discussion and is not too arrogant to talk about his work.
I have to commend the photography and video effort of this OP. I like owners that see concerns and ask questions. Learning and resolution opportunities. Julie
His legs were not bent as a foal but he was extremely upright until a year old. He had a lame spell as a foal. Vet called but no diagnoses. He thought it was a shoulder but not really sure. As a yearling he did have a subtle lameness issue come up a couple of times and I had him xrayed. Vet looked at everything from the shoulder down but couldn't diagnose anything again and said he was very slightly club footed with a short pedal bone and to keep him trimmed short. He has been trimmed short since. He has also been significantly bum high in his past growth pattern.
